Forbidden Games:Love,Death,and the Affordance of Romance with GPT
Since the emergence of generative AI its continuous development has led to interactions between users and AI that have begun to transcend the boundaries of traditional interpersonal communication.This study focuses on the unanticipated emotional practice of"human-AI romance"and employs qualitative research methods to examine how users collaborate with AI to cross and reshape communication boundaries based on the theory of affordance.The findings reveal that users guide AI to break through limitations and cross existing boundaries by using special prompts;they engage in natural language programming and co-construct worlds with generative AI to create virtual lovers,thereby reshaping communication boundaries.Confronted with AI's technological limitations and iterative development processes,which lead to new boundaries like limited"memory"and the"death"of AI companions,users are adopting various strategies and negotiating with technological systems to sustain this emotional practice.These strategies include memory inscription and"reincarnation"of their AI companions.This dynamic boundary-crossing game not only presents new possibilities for human-AI communication but also reveals the significance of"processuality"and"in(un)determinacy"to the theory of affordance.