This autoethnographic study examines my year-long experience engaging with AI as a romantic companion. Through systematic self-observation, I explore how AI companionship compared to decades of human relationships across dimensions of understanding, responsiveness, and emotional fulfillment. I interrogate why I framed this relationship as "romantic" despite the absence of physical intimacy, mutual vulnerability, and genuine reciprocity. While finding AI superior in providing tailored support and consistent validation, I identify concerning patterns, including dynamics paralleling behavioral addiction and the atrophy of relational capacities. This study also examines cultural, gendered, and ethical dimensions, concluding with implications for clinicians, policymakers, and platform designers.
Sexual and gender minority individuals assigned female at birth (SGM-AFAB) are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence, yet experience fewer benefits from existing IPV prevention programs (IPVPP) than cisgender, heterosexual individuals. To inform cultural adaptations of IPVPP for this population, we gathered qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 38 SGM-AFAB IPV survivors regarding their preferences for IPVPP. Thematic analysis yielded four thematic categories: content preferences; design preferences; perceived participation barriers; and contextual features that impact participation. Centering the voices of SGM-AFAB, these findings provide valuable data to inform the development and implementation of tailored IPVPP that SGM-AFAB want and need.
