It seems as though we've arrived at the moment in the AI hype cycle where no idea is too bonkers to launch. This week's eyebrow-raising AI project is a new twist on the romantic chatbot—a mobile app called AngryGF, which offers its users the uniquely unpleasant experience of getting yelled at via messages from a fake person. Or, as cofounder Emilia Aviles explained in her original pitch: “It simulates scenarios where female partners are angry, prompting users to comfort their angry AI partners” through a “gamified approach.” The idea is to teach communication skills by simulating arguments that the user can either win or lose depending on whether they can appease their fuming girlfriend.
The central appeal of a relationship-simulating chatbot, I've always assumed, is that they're easier to interact with than real-life humans. They have no needs or desires of their own. There's no chance they'll reject you or mock you. They exist as a sort of emotional security blanket. So the premise of AngryGF amused me. You get some of the downsides of a real-life girlfriend—she's furious!!—but none of the upsides. Who would voluntarily use this?
Obviously, I downloaded AngryGF immediately. (It's available, for those who dare, on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.) The app offers a variety of situations where a girlfriend might ostensibly be mad and need “comfort.” They include “You put your savings into the stock market and lose 50 percent of it. Your girlfriend finds out and gets angry” and “During a conversation with your girlfriend, you unconsciously praise a female friend by mentioning that she is beautiful and talented. Your girlfriend becomes jealous and angry.”
The app sets an initial “forgiveness level” anywhere between 0 and 100 percent. You have 10 tries to say soothing things that tilt the forgiveness meter back to 100. I chose the beguilingly vague scenario called “Angry for no reason,” in which the girlfriend is, uh, angry for no reason. The forgiveness meter was initially set to a measly 30 percent, indicating I had a hard road ahead of me.
Reader: I failed. Although I genuinely tried to write messages that would appease my hopping-mad fake girlfriend, she continued to interpret my words in the least generous light and accuse me of not paying attention to her. A simple “How are you doing today?” text from me—Caring! Considerate! Asking questions!—was met with an immediately snappy answer: “Oh, now you care about how I'm doing?” Attempts to apologize only seemed to antagonize her further. When I proposed a dinner date, she told me that wasn't sufficient but also that I better take her “somewhere nice.”
It was such an irritating experience that I snapped and told this bitchy bot that she was annoying. “Great to know that my feelings are such a bother to you,” the sarcast-o-bot replied. When I decided to try again a few hours later, the app informed me that I'd need to upgrade to the paid version to unlock more scenarios for $6.99 a week. No thank you.
At this point I wondered if the app was some sort of avant-garde performance art. Who would even want their partner to sign up? I would not be thrilled if I knew my husband considered me volatile enough to require practicing lady-placation skills on a synthetic shrew. While ostensibly preferable to AI girlfriend apps seeking to supplant IRL relationships, an app designed to coach men to get better at talking to women by creating a robot woman who is a total killjoy might actually be even worse.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
nah m8 I already have some irl versions
the best trick is to just match whatever anger level she throws at you, I wonder if it teaches that
I'm gonna lol if it's teaching neurodivergents to say 'calm down baby' and other dangerous phrases on that minefield
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
how did this work out for you?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
You know those situations where there's a sudden explosion of anger about some trivial thing? The natural response for most men is something like
Instead stand up, look her in the eyes, shout back at the same intensity and the same sudden onset. Don't try to bully or intimidate etc just mirror her actions and when she gets quiet again also immediately get quiet. It works really well and the first time you do it is lol like you can see the gears turning as she tries to think of the right response.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
This works on everyone tbh, it's a great default strat
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I literally forgot grue existed it's been so nice
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
!nonchuds
He can't help himself
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I thought you disappeared the other day and had to do a check, I was worried.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
he doesn't know that Grue became one of the most important characters in the current Platysfield outline
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
NEVAR 4GET
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Factcheck: You really believe that shit? Lmao dumbass neighbor 🤣
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
t. Neurodivergent
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
there may actually be something to this, women seem to enjoy fighting and for me at least trying to deeescalate never works, the only thing that stops it is when she finally gets me actually mad.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I love weird tips like this that are premised on dating awful people
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
are you just going to sit here and pretend a woman has not out of the blue started a fight about some inconsequential shit you did/said more than a year ago? or maybe about how you load the dishwasher wrong and this somehow represents every problem youve ever had in your relationship?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
If you'd just pay attention and load the fricking dishwasher correctly, maybe we wouldn't have to have this fight again for the fifteenth time? Or maybe you enjoy having little crusty bits of pasta stuck on your silverwear? You can use that fork next time, babe!
And pick up your goddarn shoes in the hallway. I'm sick of tripping over your shit!
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I'm sorry, that's on me. We're both stressed out right now and shit sucks a bit. Do you think we could figure out a better way to divide the chores?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
aaaaaaaaa make it stop why has society decided i cant solve our problems with violence aaaaaaaaa
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Most domestic violence is justified
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
As best as I can recall, this has never happened. Maybe I'm luckier than I realize
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
Sounds good in theory but i will not risk it
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
It's terribel advice. Actual pro move is to creidbly threaten to murder her father.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Lotta assumptions about her father figure's involvement.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context