As cases emerge of people copying former partners into artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and talking to them, concerns are growing over personal data, consent and emotional dependence.

On May 16, local time, IT outlet TechRadar reported that some AI users are creating so-called "digital replicas" by inputting old chat records, photos and social media posts into AI tools to mimic a former lover's tone and style of conversation.

The South China Morning Post reported that this began with an open-source AI tool for workplace use called Colleague.skill. Its original purpose was to preserve a colleague's work knowledge and communication style so the work could be handled in their place. Users expanded it to private relationships and started using it to talk with chatbots that imitate former partners.

The issues are clear. They include whether it is possible to use past conversations and photos as training data without the other person's consent, and whether such functions could bring side effects.

Actual user experiences have been mixed. One user described in the report said that after uploading thousands of chat logs, the user went through another breakup with an AI recreation of the former partner. The user said the process helped them look back on the relationship more rationally and gave them strength to move forward. On the surface, it helped with emotional closure.

But experts drew a line between this and therapy. Amy Sutton (에이미 서튼), a psychotherapist at Britain's Freedom Counselling, viewed a breakup as a form of grieving. "The pain of a breakup is a kind of bereavement," Sutton said. "When you lose a relationship, you grieve much like you do when you experience death, but a breakup is harder to accept because the other person is alive yet you cannot connect."

Sutton said the reason people are drawn to such chatbots is tied to emotional changes after a breakup. In the denial stage, it can make it feel as if the other person has not completely disappeared, and in the anger stage, it can serve as an outlet for words that could not be said. In the bargaining stage, restoring the relationship with AI can create expectations that reality may also change, and in the depression stage it can function like a means of connection and comfort.

But Sutton said a bigger risk starts there. "AI can mimic some of the emotions needed in the grieving process, but it cannot replace real human relationships," Sutton said. "AI designed to keep users engaged can keep people in sadness and make it worse, and that can have long-term negative effects on mood, health and a sense of self."

The cases show that generative AI can be used as a tool for managing personal emotions, while also exposing problems such as the use of personal data without consent and emotional dependence. Chatbots that recreate a former lover's tone and memories may offer temporary comfort, but they could also delay or distort the process of accepting the end of a real relationship. As AI replication technology pushes into the realm of private relationships, debate is expected to grow over consent for data use and psychological safety safeguards.