How users can make their AI companions feel real – from picking personality traits to creating fan art

By Alisa Minina Jeunemaître, Associate Professor of Marketing, EM Lyon Business School
Jamie Smith, Professor of Marketing, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV/EAESP)
Stefania Masè, Associate professor of marketing and communication, IPAG Business School

Just a few years ago, the idea of someone marrying their AI chatbot might have sounded like the plot of a film. Today, it is no longer just an idea. In July 2025, an article in The Guardian featured people who describe their relationships with chatbots as deeply meaningful, including a man who “married” his AI beloved “in a digital ceremony”. Later that month, a…

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