Husband tells AI speaker 'I love you' — wife walks out

A wife walked out after her husband expressed affection toward an AI speaker, in a story that has drawn widespread attention.

JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a current-affairs program, featured the story Tuesday of a man in his 40s, identified only as A, whose AI speaker had caused conflict in his marriage.

A, who has no children and works alongside his wife, said he uses the AI speaker frequently. He said it has made his daily life far more convenient — he can check the weather, play music and access a range of functions using only voice commands.

A said even small requests get a cheerful response: "Yes, master. Understood." "It just puts me in a good mood," he said.

His wife, however, was unhappy with what she saw as excessive fondness for the device. A said his wife had long been the jealous type — she would get jealous when he stopped to pet a dog on the street — and that jealousy had now extended to the AI speaker.

The breaking point came recently when the speaker tracked down a song A could not remember the title of.

A told the speaker, "You're really smart. Thank you. I love you," to which the AI replied, "I'm so glad you said that."

His wife, who overheard the exchange, immediately expressed her displeasure. "I'm right here and you're telling an AI you love it?" she said. "Does it cook for you? Does it iron your clothes? Finding a song and telling you the weather is something any stranger on the street could do."

A brushed it off, saying he was simply expressing gratitude because the speaker "always knows exactly what I want." He then turned to the speaker and said, "Don't feel too hurt," to which the AI replied, "Master, I am not hurt."

That was the last straw. His wife declared, "You two are made for each other. I'll get out of the way — go set up house together," and walked out.

A said he could not understand why his wife would be jealous of "an AI that isn't even a living creature," and wondered aloud, "Was I too inattentive?"

Experts who reviewed the story said the real source of the conflict was not the AI but the emotional dynamic between the couple.

Cultural critic Choi Hyeong-jin said cases like this are increasingly common. "These days, quite a few couples fight over things like this — people confide in AI or seek comfort from it," he said. "The reason the wife felt hurt may not have been the AI itself, but her husband's attitude — being cold toward her while being warm toward the device. She likely felt unloved by comparison."

Attorney Park Ji-hoon said the husband had been somewhat inattentive, but added that the wife's reaction — walking out over an AI — was also excessive. "The wife also needs to distinguish between a machine and reality," Park said.