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Orchid: The AI Sidekick for Sloppy Boyfriends

Is AI the new matchmaking ploy, or just a tech fad gone viral?

Over the past few years, the term “weaponized incompetence” has blown up in dating discourse online. It’s used to describe someone—most often the guy—who acts like they are incapable of doing things like cooking, cleaning, scheduling, and being thoughtful, in the hopes that their partner will simply take care of it.


A new AI agent, Orchid, was advertised this week as a way to fix relationship problems by simply doing all of those tasks for an inconsiderate partner instead. In the promo, released on Wednesday, Sam, a boyfriend who is busy gaming and rifling through expired groceries, has forgotten his anniversary. “Ok ok, I can do this,” he types to Orchid when the AI agent reminds him of the day’s significance. “You can’t. That’s why I’m here,” Orchid replies, as it goes about making a reservation and buying his girlfriend’s favorite flowers—lilies, another detail he didn’t remember.


The rollout was blasted by users on X for advertising to “adult babies uninterested in the world they live in” and for perpetuating “dead-end relationships that both parties secretly hate.” To state the obvious: Orchid will not fix long-simmering relationship resentments through task managing. “Trying to outsource difficult but necessary communication will prevent couples from facing the messy but meaningful growing pains of their relationship,” says Lauren Maher, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles.


The actual usefulness of AI assistants remains in doubt when it comes to matters of the heart. According to one recent survey from astrology app Hint, which polled more than 13,000 adults across the US, Latin America, and Europe, AI assistants are actually making dating decisions harder, with 59 percent of the participants saying the advice left them more confused than before. Overburdened with too much machine-generated guidance, 47 percent said AI input influenced them to postpone decisions about their romantic relationships.


The company’s viral ad seems to be a bait-and-switch more than anything, as its larger ambitions are focused on workflow. Pitched as the ideal agent to “automate your life,” it offers to work across your connected apps without requiring you to switch between them. But it's unclear, beyond its texting feature, what makes it unique from other AI agents.

Original source:  https://www.wired.com/story/this-ai-assistants-whole-pitch-is-making-up-for-your-boyfriends-incompetence/
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