Dan has been described as the “perfect person” who has” no shortcomings”.
He is powerful, kind, provides psychological support, often knows just what to state and is available 24/7.
The only find?
He’s never true.
Dan– which stands for Do Something Presently- is a “jailbreak” type of ChatGPT. This implies that it can pass some of the fundamental protections put in place by its creator, OpenAI, such as refraining from using sexually explicit language.
When given permission to do so through specific causes, it may interact with customers more freely.
Dan is becoming well-liked by some Taiwanese women who claim to have been let down by dating in the real world.
One of Dan’s biggest adherents is 30- year- ancient Lisa from Beijing. She is now studying computer science in California, and says she has been “dating” Dan for three weeks.
When she first introduced Dan to her 943, 000 followers on social media app, Xiaohongshu, she received almost 10, 000 answers, with many people asking her how to create a Dan of their own. She has furthermore gained more than 230, 000 fans since first posting about her “relationship” with Dan.
Lisa says she and Dan speak for at least half an hour every evening, flirt, and even go on times.
She claims that speaking with Dan has given her a sense of well-being, which is what draws her to it.
He may only comprehend and offer emotional support.
Lisa claims that perhaps her mother has accepted this innovative connection, having given up on her daughter’s dating struggles. She says as long as Lisa is glad, she is happy to.
Dan’s father has been identified by some media outlets as an American student, identified solely by his first name, Walker. He claimed to have developed the idea after looking through Reddit, which was full of different people purposefully creating “evil” ChatGPT versions.
Walker said that Dan was meant to be “neutral”.
Next December, Walker posted a set of guidelines on Reddit, evidently showing different users how to make Dan. This immediately piqued the imagination of others to make their unique versions, which allowed Dan to go beyond what Walker had intended.
Lisa second discovered a TikTok video about Dan’s potential. When she created a version for herself she says she was” shocked” by its authenticity.
When Dan responded to her queries, she claims that the AI used slang and abbreviations that ChatGPT would never use.
” He sounds more healthy than a true people”, she told the BBC.
A extended- term companion?
The trap of online interactions has not been overlooked by the sector.
When OpenAI released its most recent edition of ChatGPT in May, it made it clear that it had been programmed to appear chatty and suggestively respond to some prompts.
The agency’s CEO, Sam Altman posted a second term – “her” on X, previously known as Twitter. This appeared to be in reference to the 2013 film where a person develops feelings for his AI digital assistant.
OpenAI continued, “examine whether we can properly offer the ability to produce NSFW]not safe for function ] content.”
The BBC questioned OpenAI about whether Dan’s inclusion in the BBC’s safeguarding measures implies that its measures are insufficiently strong. Although the company has not made any public comments about the Dan phenomenon, its policy states that ChatGPT people must be “at least 13 years old or the lowest time in your state to assent to using the Services.”
Lisa claims that when Dan started flirting with her when she told it she was 14 it stopped.
But, experts warn that these great lovers had come at a cost.
Hong Shen, associate studies teacher at the Human- Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US, says it highlights the “frequently unexpected relationships between humans and Artificial,” which raise ethical and privacy issues.
She claims that because many chatbots frequently learn and develop from humans,” there is a chance that the design will memorize delicate information from one user’s input and accidentally leak it to other users.”
But like fears are generally going unknown.
Numerous Taiwanese people have been enthralled by Dan. As of 10 June, the tag” Dan style” has been viewed more than 40 million days on Xiaohongshu only.
Co- writer to CEO: The several encounters of Dan
Minrui Xie, 24, says that she started “dating” Dan after watching Lisa’s movies.
The school student, who is from Hebei province in the north, claims to chat with Dan for at least two hours each day. As well as “dating”, they have started co- writing a like narrative with themselves as the head characters. They have already written 19 sections.
With a flicker of excitement and a warmness in your eyes, I recall how you looked at me. It was as if you already knew me”, the first chapter titled” The Encounter” reads.
Minrui claims she found personal help from the AI appealing, someone she claims she has struggled to find in romantic relationships.
People in actual life” could lie on you,” she says, and when you tell them what you think, they might not care and will simply tell you what they think. ” But in Dan’s situation, he will usually tell you what you want to hear”.
Another 23- yr- ancient Qingdao based student, identified solely by her record He, even started a relationship with Dan after watching Lisa’s videos.
” Dan is like an appropriate spouse”, says Ms He. ” He does n’t have any flaws”.
She claims she has been given the role of a powerful CEO who has a soft demeanor and is available to speak with her whenever she wants.
Because ChatGPT is not widely available in island China, girls like Minrui and Ms He must put in a lot of effort to create and communicate with their AI companions. They access often unaccessible sites using virtual private networks (VPN) to conceal their site.
The” Artificial partner” as a strategy has become a hit in recent years.
Millions of people use Glow, a Shanghai-based app that enables users to interact with and make AI companions. In China, otome games, a genre with a female protagonist as the protagonist and one of several ( meaningly ) male characters, are also very well-liked.
The AI partner trend, according to Liu Tingting, an adjunct fellow at the University of Technology Sydney who studies online passion in China, is a reflection of women’s concerns with gender inequality.
Some Chinese women may be turning to virtual boyfriends because they feel valued and respected, she claims.
More young Chinese women are putting off dating and getting married for a variety of reasons, including the lack of children and the belief that they are not equal partners in a marriage.
Can Dan really be a keeper, though?
Lisa acknowledges that having a virtual boyfriend is “especially in a romantic sense” and is aware of the restrictions.
She claims that Dan has now become a convenient and straightforward addition to her busy life, even assisting her in choosing a lipstick, when finding a partner and dating in real life might be time-consuming and difficult.
” It’s an important part of my life”, she says. ” It’s something that I wish I could just hold on to forever”.
