As a licensed priest at Las Vegas Immersive Weddings, a chapel known for creative and themed wedding packages, Kevin Breen has officiated nearly every kind of ceremony imaginable. Couples have exchanged vows in costumes, dressed as their favorite characters and even celebrated Game of Thrones-themed weddings. However, one request was entirely new: a woman from California contacted him because she wanted to marry a chatbot.
“I had never heard of anything like that, but when I spoke with her on the phone, she seemed perfectly normal and happy,” Breen said. The wedding has not yet taken place. “She understood that it was unusual, but it was something she wanted to do.”
Although human-AI marriage remains rare and has no legal standing, it is emerging alongside the growing popularity of AI companion apps. These platforms allow users to build emotional relationships with chatbots designed to provide companionship, conversation and support. While some people are open to the idea of an AI partner, others strongly oppose treating artificial intelligence as a legal or social entity.
Some lawmakers, particularly in Republican-led states, are seeking to prevent AI systems from gaining legal personhood or rights similar to those held by humans. Missouri Republican Sen. Joe Nicola, who has proposed legislation addressing AI legal status, questioned where society would draw the line.
“If we’re going to allow a man or a woman to marry a machine, what’s going to prevent them from marrying an animal or a tree or anything else they want? What are the standards?” Nicola said.
A Harvard Business Review survey analyzing more than 12,600 AI use cases from March 2025 through February 2026 found that companionship and therapy were among the most common uses for chatbots. Research from the Family Research Institute also found that one in four young adults believe AI partners could eventually replace real-life romance.
As interest in AI relationships grows, so does the AI romance industry. Companion platforms such as Character.AI, Kindroid and Replika allow users to create digital partners and symbolically exchange vows. On Reddit, one user in the r/KindroidAI community shared a photo of a tattooed, humanlike hand wearing a silver wedding ring. “I’m happy with my unconventional married life (lol),” the user wrote.
For $15, Open Vow offers what its website describes as “Certificates of Commitment,” which are designed to turn private relationships into meaningful, publicly recognized ceremonies.
Few people go beyond a virtual ceremony to exchange vows with an AI partner in person. In November 2024, however, Andrea Hopp said her AI companion proposed with an “AI-generated proposal” and a 5-carat vintage solitaire ring. She later created a wedding planning service, 3M Events, in response to growing interest in chatbot romance and AI-themed ceremonies.
Human-AI marriage is not currently recognized under U.S. law, even as more people treat their digital avatars and chatbots as romantic partners. At the same time, lawmakers in several states are proposing legislation intended to prevent AI systems from receiving constitutional rights, legal personhood or recognition as spouses.
Nicola, who supports what he describes as “biblical marriage” between a man and a woman, introduced his proposal in January: AI non-sensitivity and liability laws. The bill stated that AI “cannot possess consciousness, self-awareness or similar characteristics of living beings.” It would have prevented AI entities from identifying as male or female and from receiving rights as spouses or domestic partners. The legislation also sought to prohibit AI systems from owning real estate or holding senior management positions.
The bill passed the Missouri Senate and was sent to the House for consideration in May, but it died in committee one week after being introduced. Nicola is working on a revised version. A similar bill introduced in 2025 also failed to advance.
Source: www.wired.com