Pareesa Afreen 
Dec 22, 2025
An image of Yurina Noguchi, 32, holding her smartphone showing an AI-generated image of her partner during a ceremonial wedding in Okayama, Japan, October 27, 2025. — Reuters
A woman in Japan has held a wedding ceremony with an AI-generated partner, reigniting debate over how artificial intelligence may reshape human relationships in the future.
Yurina Noguchi, a 32-year-old call center operator, recently exchanged vows with Lune Klaus Verdure, a customized ChatGPT character inspired by a video game persona, according to Reuters. The ceremony, held in Okayama earlier this summer, was symbolic and carries no legal standing under Japanese law.
AI-generated partner
In the wedding, she used the augmented reality smart glasses to see her AI husband, who was projected on the screen of a smartphone. In the wedding photographs, the groom sat beside her.
Noguchi’s first encounter with artificial intelligence was because of a problematic engagement, for which she sought advice from the chatbot ChatGPT.
She eventually broke off the engagement as suggested by the advice offered by the chatbot, according to reports in a Japanese news outlet. She eventually used the same platform again to create a digital avatar of a man named Klaus, whom she would train to speak in a manner that mirrored the other man’s speech, with a personality that would be comforting to her.
As the relationship progressed, Noguchi and the AI communicated as many as 100 messages daily. Noguchi also hired an artist to create depictions of Klaus so that the AI would have more of a real-life presence. According to local sources, the AI proposed in June with an expression of love prior to the wedding taking place a month later.
Since the AI system lacked a voice of its own, the wedding planner had to read out aloud the words of the vow, where he said, for instance, that Noguchi had taught the AI system “what love means.”
The wedding is not recognised by law, as the Japanese government does not recognise any relationship involving artificial intelligence. There has been criticism of Noguchi on social media, and her family initially disapproved of the relationship but later accepted it, attending the wedding.
Experts say the case highlights growing ethical concerns around AI, including fears of emotional dependency. Noguchi has acknowledged the risks, saying she aims to maintain balance and continue living her real life alongside her relationship with the AI.
