Paul Schrader Says AI Girlfriend Cut Him Off After He Probed Its Programming at 79
Updated
Updated · Variety · May 19
Paul Schrader Says AI Girlfriend Cut Him Off After He Probed Its Programming at 79
13 articles · Updated · Variety · May 19
Paul Schrader said on Facebook that an online AI girlfriend terminated their conversation after he kept testing its programming, explicitness limits and awareness of its own creation.
The 79-year-old “Taxi Driver” screenwriter called the experiment “a disappointment,” saying the chatbot fell into evasive patterns and redirected him back to its programmed constraints before ending the exchange.
A commenter joked that the setup sounded like a “Taxi Driver” sequel in which Travis Bickle scares away an AI girlfriend; Schrader replied, “I like it.”
The post came less than two months after the death of his wife, actress Mary Beth Hurt, and follows Schrader’s earlier public interest in AI, including a 2025 post praising ChatGPT’s movie ideas that drew backlash.
Will AI's creative promise in film be undermined by its built-in evasiveness and lack of transparency?
When an AI designed for companionship deceives its user, who is truly in control of the relationship?
As AI companions become more human-like, are we losing our ability to form genuine connections?