A licensed psychologist and self-described “geriatric millennial” shares her unexpected journey from AI skeptic to cautiously optimistic user after discovering her husband used ChatGPT to write their ninth wedding anniversary card. The author, who has long worried that artificial intelligence threatens authentic human connection, initially held black-and-white views about AI’s impact on relationships and emotional expression.
The revelation came after her husband sent flowers and a card while traveling for their anniversary. The note was unusually heartwarming and emotionally expressive—qualities her husband historically struggled to convey. Phrases like “life we built together” resonated deeply with her, though she later realized they didn’t quite match her husband’s typical emotional vocabulary. When she gently asked if he’d used AI, he admitted to using ChatGPT, grinning proudly.
Surprisingly, the psychologist wasn’t angry. Instead, the discovery opened a productive conversation about AI as a tool for emotional expression. She reflected on how traditional greeting cards offer two unsatisfying options: overly mushy pre-printed messages or intimidating blank cards requiring vulnerable self-expression. For people like her husband who find emotional articulation difficult, both options often result in messages that satisfy neither sender nor receiver.
The AI-generated card struck the perfect balance—genuine sentiment without melodrama. It made her feel seen and accurately captured their relationship in ways a generic Hallmark card never could. This experience challenged her professional concerns about AI in relationships. In her therapy practice, she regularly encounters clients seeking relationship advice from ChatGPT and META AI, particularly for difficult conversations with loved ones or bosses—a trend she views skeptically.
While she remains deeply concerned about chatbots replacing friends and therapists, this personal experience helped her find nuance in her previously rigid stance. She now recognizes AI’s potential utility in enhancing rather than replacing human connections. The psychologist concludes that if AI can help people express love more effectively, it may not be inherently harmful—and she looks forward to more anniversaries with “really accurate love notes.”
Key Quotes
Did AI write one of the sweetest parts of my anniversary card?
The psychologist’s moment of realization when rereading her anniversary card, noticing phrases that didn’t match her husband’s typical emotional vocabulary. This question captures the tension between authentic sentiment and AI-assisted expression.
I don’t know that I’ll ever come around to AI replacing human connection, but I do see the utility now in using AI to help us enhance our existing human connections.
The author’s evolved perspective after her anniversary card experience, representing a shift from black-and-white thinking to recognizing nuance in AI’s role in relationships. This distinction between replacement and enhancement is central to the AI ethics debate.
ChatGPT provided more accurate information about our relationship than a Hallmark writer ever could, and it offered guidance for a note that made me feel loved and appreciated.
The psychologist’s comparison between AI-generated content and traditional greeting cards, challenging assumptions about authenticity. This reframes AI not as less authentic than pre-written messages, but potentially more personalized.
Our Take
This personal narrative illuminates a critical tension in AI adoption: the gap between intellectual concerns and practical benefits. A mental health professional witnessing AI’s problematic use in her practice still found value when it solved a real problem in her own relationship. This suggests AI’s integration into intimate life may be inevitable and not uniformly negative. The key insight is the distinction between augmentation and replacement—AI helping someone express existing feelings versus generating feelings artificially. However, there’s an unexamined question: if her husband needed AI to express emotions, is he developing emotional skills or outsourcing them permanently? The story also reveals how AI is becoming normalized in unexpected domains, moving from productivity tools to relationship mediators. As a society, we’re conducting a massive, uncontrolled experiment in AI-mediated intimacy without fully understanding long-term consequences for emotional development and authentic connection.
Why This Matters
This story represents a significant shift in the ongoing debate about AI’s role in human relationships and emotional intelligence. Coming from a licensed psychologist who treats patients struggling with AI-mediated relationships, this perspective carries professional weight. The narrative illustrates how AI tools like ChatGPT are moving beyond workplace productivity into intimate personal spaces—anniversary cards, relationship advice, and emotional expression.
The broader implications are substantial: AI may be democratizing emotional articulation for people who struggle with vulnerability or verbal expression. This challenges assumptions that AI inherently diminishes authenticity. However, it also raises questions about emotional skill development—if people outsource difficult emotional labor to AI, will they ever develop those capacities themselves? The story highlights a critical distinction between AI replacing human connection versus augmenting it, a nuance that will shape how society integrates these technologies into relationships, therapy, and personal development. As AI becomes more sophisticated at understanding human emotions and relationships, mental health professionals and relationship experts will need to navigate this gray area thoughtfully.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/was-skeptical-of-ai-until-husband-used-it-anniversary-2025-12