An AI expert in China has given up his search for his one true love and has settled with a robot that he conveniently built. 31-year-old Zheng Jiajia married his robot in a simple ceremony held on Friday, attended by his mother and friends. In the ceremony, he vowed to love his robot in sickness and in health and to install updates on it so she’ll one day be able to walk and do chores around the house.
Zheng has reportedly been dating his robot for two months before popping the big question. The marriage isn't necessarily legal, but Zheng has displayed and expressed his commitment to his "wifebot". The Chinese media reported that Zheng decided to do this bizarre act after being fed up of searching for a human spouse to no avail.
Adorned with a traditional red scarf over her head during the wedding, the AI robot named Yingying can identify Chinese characters and images, and even utter a few simple word. According to the CNET, Zheng is going to design and develop upgrades for his robot wife. He wants to further develop her abilities in language, as well as other skills so that she can help around the house as they live as husband and wife.
Previously an employee for Huawei, Zheng left the telecom company in 2014. He then joined a startup in the commercial center of Huangzhou known as Dream Town. According to the Daily Mail, while the marriage may seem to raise some eyebrows, experts have increasingly warned that robot-human relationships will become far more common in the years to come.
Due to development in AI and robotics, researchers say have claimed that it's possible for humans to marry robots or other inanimate things. It’s worthy to note that Zheng isn't the first to marry an inanimate spouse. In Korea, a man married his pillow with an anime character's face on it in 2010.
