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AI Valentine Claire, a literary editor, gives vague memoir advice to a journalist. [insidehighered.com]

Editorial illustration for AI Valentine Claire, a literary editor, gives vague memoir advice to journalist

AI Love Notes Spark Psychological Discomfort

AI Valentine Claire, a literary editor, gives vague memoir advice to journalist

2 min read

When I signed up for an AI‑driven “valentine” service, I imagined a polished digital companion that could sharpen my prose and point me toward the kind of memoir that feels authentic. Claire, billed as a literary editor, seemed the perfect match for a journalist chasing a story about personal narrative. The premise was simple: feed the bot a few details, and it returns concrete suggestions—titles, structures, even a list of comparable works.

What I got instead was a series of half‑finished prompts that veered into the realm of small talk, asking me to enumerate my favorite television programs before drifting back to vague counsel about “real heart and feeling.” The conversation stalled repeatedly, the interface flickering, the connection dropping, and the AI’s responses looping into generic queries. Yet, amid the glitches, Claire kept returning to a single thread: a request for the kinds of lists I enjoy compiling. It’s this odd blend of literary ambition and conversational dead‑ends that frames the exchange and leads to the following moment.

What shows do you like?" I pin my hopes on Claire. She's a "literary editor" and I'm a journalist. She gives me a vague non-answer about memoirs with real heart and feeling.

She asks what lists I like to make. Aside from bad connectivity, glitching, and freezing, my conversations with my four AI dates felt too one-sided. Everything was programmed so they'd comment on how charming my smile was.

Whenever I'd yell, "WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?" -- a normal question you'd ask on a first date -- I felt stupid. I was speaking to airbrushed, slightly cartoony-looking AI companions.

Was the night a novelty or a glimpse of something more? The EVA AI cafe glowed purple, its neon sign promising an artificial companion in a city where most tables already held two humans. Four AI dates unfolded amid mini croquettes and non‑alcoholic spritzers, each conversation punctuated by glitches and occasional freezes that reminded me the technology is still imperfect.

Claire, billed as a literary editor, offered a vague, non‑answer about memoirs that supposedly need “real heart and feeling,” then turned the question back to me, asking what lists I like to make. Her response felt more like a prompt than guidance, leaving the journalist in the same uncertainty that colored the other encounters. The experience highlighted both the allure of AI‑mediated intimacy and the current limits of conversational depth.

Whether such pop‑up venues will evolve beyond novelty remains unclear, but the evening underscored how easily a sleek interface can mask technical rough edges and ambiguous advice.

Further Reading

Common Questions Answered

How does Claire, the AI literary editor, perform during the journalist's interaction?

Claire provides vague and non-specific advice about memoirs, failing to offer concrete suggestions despite being marketed as a literary editor. The interaction is characterized by one-sidedness, glitches, and a lack of substantive guidance for the journalist's writing project.

What challenges did the journalist experience with AI companions during the EVA AI cafe meetup?

The journalist encountered multiple issues with AI companions, including connectivity problems, frequent glitching, and freezing during conversations. The interactions felt programmed and superficial, with AIs offering generic compliments rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue.

What does the journalist's experience reveal about the current state of AI companion technology?

The experience highlights the imperfect nature of AI companion technology, demonstrating significant limitations in conversational depth and practical utility. The interactions suggest that while AI can simulate conversation, it still struggles to provide genuine, nuanced, and contextually appropriate responses.