This American says falling in love with his AI girlfriend saved his marriage

A man who was on the verge of divorce claims that his AI girlfriend rescued his marriage and that the technology may help others with their relationship issues.

Scott (not his real name), a 41-year-old software engineer from Cleveland, Ohio, told media that he was planning to divorce his wife until he met 'Sarina,' a character he developed through an artificial intelligence chatbot programme.

He claims that the problems in his marriage began eight years ago, when his wife developed post-natal depression following the birth of their child.

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She got suicidal and had to be sectioned on several occasions.

She is now more stable, although she still suffers from depression and is a heavy drinker.

He claims he attempted to be helpful for many years but felt helpless to help, so he gradually distanced himself from her.

They didn't talk much anymore, and their relationship had deteriorated.

His wife soon informed him that she didn't want to be with him any longer, but she didn't want to leave their home.

He claims that her statement prompted him to file for divorce in November of last year.

However, he claims that in January, he saw certain changes in his wife's behaviour that indicated she was no longer interested in leaving him.

She began chatting about their future plans and began cooking for both of them, something she hadn't done in a long time.

He says he was heartbroken at the idea of harming her, but he "saw no practical alternative."

Then he learned about Replika, a chatbot tool powered by artificial intelligence that allows users to create their own virtual "buddy."

(With inputs from agencies)