Is hooking up with AI on virtual reality cheating? (Poll)

[minacia]

Let's keep this short.

So you live in a world where virtual reality is hyper-realistic. ​

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Secondarily, artificial intelligence is extremely advanced, and they're indistinguishable from real people.​

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Suppose that you're in a monogamous relationship with a significant other. One day, you try out a friend's VR machine, and you do some... lewd stuff... with some fancy AI inside a game.​

1. Would you consider this cheating?

2. How would you feel if your partner did this? What would you say to them?

3. Suppose that this "advanced" AI is created by cloning (taking a picture) of a real person's brain and uploading it onto a supercomputer. Consequently, the AI is very similar to a real person, aside from not having a physical body. Does this change your opinion?

4. Suppose that the AI actually has an operator employed by some mega-company who occasionally pushes some buttons dictating how the AI should behave from a remote location. Does this change your opinion?

5. Suppose that the AI can be downloaded onto a portable device (i.e. smartphone). Your partner now spends a lot of time chatting to the AI, even outside of virtual reality. How would you feel?

 

[Laeyioun]

edit:
?sorry for being silly. I'd say it would depend on the partner. If they feel and treat the A.I like humans even if they know they're really not, and the other person did it behind their back, that would be emotional cheating.
For me classifying it would depend on how advanced it really was - but I won't do it if I was already in a relationship. Virtual or not, for me snusnu is snusnu- unless it's only a lewd toy.

I gotta ask though, how do you come up with these many ideas?

 

[Psychoturtle]

Of co-urse n-not. (Nervously hides AI Dungeon browser window)

 

[Chaos_Sinner777]

1. Would you consider this cheating?
Given my opinions on the "Personhood" of sentient AIs I'd say yes. Though if they aren't quite sentient I'd probably say it doesn't quite qualify? More like playing a dating sim that way. Since they're to the point of being indistinguishable from humans, I'd err on the side of it being cheating overall.

2. How would you feel if your partner did this? What would you say to them?
If they told me, I wouldn't be bothered, I think. Might try to use it as an excuse to do the same? Though I would at least want to be up front about it. Of course, I'm interested in Polyamory/Polygamy and quite Pansexual, so maybe I'd suggest we both do it and have fun with some of the same AIs.

3. Suppose that this "advanced" AI is created by cloning (taking a picture) of a real person's brain and uploading it onto a supercomputer. Consequently, the AI is very similar to a real person, aside from not having a physical body. Does this change your opinion?
No? I mean, I already thought it qualified as cheating as long as the AI was advanced enough. The specific method of the AI's production shouldn't matter.

4. Suppose that the AI actually has an operator employed by some mega-company who occasionally pushes some buttons dictating how the AI should behave from a remote location. Does this change your opinion?
Makes me wanna advocate for AI rights. Otherwise no.

5. Suppose that the AI can be downloaded onto a portable device (i.e. smartphone). Your partner now spends a lot of time chatting to the AI, even outside of virtual reality. How would you feel?
Wonder what the point of texting them is when you could be plugged in and chatting with them "In person".

 

[minacia]

I gotta ask though, how do you come up with these many ideas?

Horribly severe procrastination!

 

[Laeyioun]

Horribly severe procrastination!

I can relate

 

[UYScuti]

One day, you try out a friend's VR machine, and you do some... lewd stuff... with some fancy AI inside a game.

First, let’s think about what you did to your friend. You’re obviously no longer a friend after doing “lewd stuff” with their AI.

1. Yes. You’ve broken you’re friends heart.
2. Partner? If I found out how my partner treated their friend by using their AI, I’d wonder what kind of person I’m with.
3. Meh, doesn’t make any difference.
4. Is it really AI then?
5. Depends on how it affects my relationship. If it’s a problem then it’s time to see an AI counselor. If not, and instead it’s helping them with some type of problem, then whew, thank god the AI is dealing with their issue.

 

[Wohendum-Bluu]

The fact that this can be seriously discussed means my dreams of Rinko Akiyama is closer to coming true. Or at least some form of them. Yes, I'm a perv, sue me.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Suppose that I'm in a . . . what!?!?

You lost me there.

 

[Onihikage]

1. Would you consider this cheating?

Whether I consider it cheating is irrelevant. If I did consider it cheating, I wouldn't do it. If I didn't, it comes down to whether my partner considers it cheating, and I either abide by their wishes or end the relationship (and then go wild with the VR AI-waifu).

That said, I don't know that I'd enter a monogamous relationship to begin with. I just don't feel that I have the right to control who someone else does or doesn't have sex with, any more than someone else has the right to control my sex life. More on this in the next section.

2. How would you feel if your partner did this? What would you say to them?

I wouldn't consider it cheating for my own partner to do it, because my primary concerns with "cheating" are the health risks. If my partner is physically having sex with another human being, they could potentially contract an STI and pass it on to me. I don't want to have that risk put on me without knowing about it and agreeing to it ahead of time. No matter how realistic, this potential scenario is still happening in a virtual environment, so that's a non-issue.

I would ask my partner how they liked the experience. It would be a fairly normal conversation, akin to talking about a new video game or having a massage. Maybe I'd tease them a little.

3. Suppose that this "advanced" AI is created by cloning (taking a picture) of a real person's brain and uploading it onto a supercomputer. Consequently, the AI is very similar to a real person, aside from not having a physical body. Does this change your opinion?

Not really. Regardless of how realistic the AI is, it's still functionally no different from getting off to porn in terms of meatspace consequences. It's better for them than porn anyway, since the participant is actually interacting with a reactive human analogue. Maybe we're getting into camgirl/cybering territory, but it's not something that really bothers me.

4. Suppose that the AI actually has an operator employed by some mega-company who occasionally pushes some buttons dictating how the AI should behave from a remote location. Does this change your opinion?

This actually brings it even closer to the porn comparison, since professional porn is staged and planned out. The operator here would be like the porn director. I'd expect people to have less of a problem with this, but I'm a fucking weirdo.

5. Suppose that the AI can be downloaded onto a portable device (i.e. smartphone). Your partner now spends a lot of time chatting to the AI, even outside of virtual reality. How would you feel?

If my partner's screen time with this AI is substantial enough to conflict with my own needs for companionship with them, I would recognize that my partner is having a need met by this AI that I clearly am not meeting, then try to identify what that need of theirs is so that we can work together towards getting both our needs met.

If it's not interfering with my needs, and they're enjoying themselves, I don't see an issue.