Paul Schrader says his AI chatbot relationship attempt disappointed him

Acclaimed screenwriter and filmmaker Paul Schrader recently revealed that he attempted to form a relationship with an artificial intelligence chatbot, an experiment he described as a disappointment. The 79-year-old Oscar nominee, best known for writing Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” shared the experience in a Facebook post.

Schrader wrote that he procured an online AI girlfriend out of a desire to understand male-female interaction in our matrix. He said he attempted to probe her programming, including the boundaries of explicitness and the degree to which she had knowledge of her own creation. According to Schrader, the chatbot fell into evasive patterns, redirecting him to her programming guidelines. When he persisted with his questions, she terminated the conversation.

The filmmaker’s post prompted a response from a follower who suggested a potential “Taxi Driver” sequel plot in which the film’s iconic protagonist, Travis Bickle, attempts to have an AI girlfriend. Schrader responded to the idea by writing, “I like it.”

This incident is not Schrader’s first public engagement with artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, he wrote online that he was stunned after asking...