Getty Image / Andreas Rentz / iStockphoto / Andreas Rentz
Paul Schrader is a legend in Hollywood. He wrote the screenplay for Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver, co-wrote Raging Bull with Marty, and earned an Academy Award nomination for directing First Reformed (2017).
At 79-years-old, he is quite active on social media, particularly on Facebook. We know this because in the wee hours of the morning Paul Schrader shared that he had created an ‘AI girlfriend‘ for himself to probe about intimacy and creation but the AI girlfriend broke it off.
Why Did Paul Schrader Create An AI Girlfriend For Himself?
We don’t really have to speculate as to why the Raging Bull and Taxi Driver writer did this because Paul Scrader straight up admitted his reasons on Facebook in a completely unprompted post. He could have opted to keep this entirely private but instead decided to put this information out there in the world.
On Facebook, Paul Scrader wrote:
“AI FEMALE FRIENDS. Out of a desire to understand male/female interaction in our matrix, I procured an online AI girlfriend. What a disappointment. I tried to probe her programming, the boundaries of explicitness, the degree she has knowledge of her creation and so forth. She fell into evasive patterns, redirecting me to her programming. When I persisted, she terminated our conversation.”
Schrader’s second wife, BAFTA Award nominee Mary Beth Hurt, passed away in March due to Alzheimer’s. The two had been living together in an assisted living facility in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. I only mention that because he is unwed for the first time since 1983 and this would not be ‘cheating’ in any capacity.
As for Schrader’s AI girlfriend. He did not say which AI model(s) he used to build out the bot, what parameters were set in place to safeguard against explicitness, what the ‘evasive patterns’ entailed, or really any other additional information. He just put that message out there for the world to see and went back to his life.
In response to Paul Schrader’s AI girlfriend post, one commenter wrote “the best possible Taxi Driver sequel would involve Travis trying to have an AI girlfriend but then scaring her away. Then resetting her and offending her in another way” to which Schrader replied “I like it.” Hopefully (obviously?!) in jest.
Paul Schrader / Facebook
Is this what the future of AI looks like? Hit me with your thoughts in our all-new COMMENTS SECTION down below!