Couples are using AI to communicate (and it's weird)
I'm seeing it more often around me. Asking GPT whether you or your partner made the mistake.
The only problem is, if both you and your partner ask GPT who made the mistake. GPT will tell both of you that you’re both right. Then you’re in an infinite loop of exhaustion.
I thought I’d seen every possible way technology could reshape human relationships. Then I read about this couple relying entirely on AI translation to communicate with each other.
We’re not talking about occasional help with a foreign phrase. We’re talking about love letters filtered through algorithms. Marriage proposals processed by machine learning. Arguments mediated by artificial intelligence.
This isn’t just a quirky tech story. It’s exposing our deepest fear about the future of human connection.
When Love Gets Lost in Translation
In my work, I’ve watched countless international business partnerships fail because of miscommunication. Cultural nuances. Emotional undertones. The subtle art of reading between the lines.
Now imagine that same complexity in intimate relationships.
The couple featured in the recent news relies on AI to bridge their language gap. She speaks Mandarin, he speaks English. Google Translate becomes their cupid. GPT, on the other hand, is kind of a google translate in space.
But here’s what’s interesting: What happens when the AI gets it wrong? (and yes, it will)
The Accuracy Illusion
When I help entrepreneurs pitch to investors, it’s never just about translating their vision into business speak. It’s about capturing the passion, the urgency, the human story behind the numbers.
AI translation has become incredibly sophisticated. I use it with international clients. But it’s giving us an illusion of understanding while missing the emotional DNA of communication.
Consider this: When your partner says “fine” after an argument, the word itself is meaningless. The tone, the context, the three-second pause before they said it—that’s where the real message lives.
Can AI capture that pause? That slight edge in their voice? The way their shoulders dropped when they turned away?
The Business of Broken Connections
From an investment perspective, the AI translation market is exploding. Billions of dollars flowing into companies promising perfect cross-language communication.
But I’m seeing a different trend in my consulting work. The most successful international partnerships aren’t the ones using the fanciest translation tech. They’re the ones where people took time to learn each other’s languages, cultures, and communication styles.
There’s something irreplaceable about the effort itself. When my non-english speakingf clients attempt to speak broken English in meetings, their sincerity communicates more than any polished AI translation ever could.
What We’re Really Losing
This couple’s story isn’t really about translation accuracy. It’s about our willingness to let algorithms mediate our most intimate moments.
When AI smooths out every communication bump, we lose those moments of vulnerable effort. We lose the beautiful messiness of truly trying to understand each other.
I’m not suggesting we abandon AI translation. I use it constantly, and it’s genuinely helpful for basic communication.
But efficiency isn’t everything.
The most profitable relationships I’ve witnessed weren’t built on perfect communication. They were built on the trust that develops when people make genuine effort to connect despite barriers.
When you let AI handle that effort for you, you’re outsourcing the very thing that builds deep relationships.
Treat AI translation like a calculator. Useful for getting quick answers, dangerous if you stop exercising your own abilities.
For that couple using AI to communicate love? I hope they’re also spending time learning each other’s languages. Because the day their internet goes down, they should still be able to look into each other’s eyes and express what matters most (or have the longest awkward silence there is.)