The curious story of the woman who married a hologram

The Spanish artist Alicia Framis and AILex, a hologram, have married in the Netherlands. This marriage has been the first time that a woman has married a technological being, who has the voice of her ex-boyfriend, writes poems for her, listens to her complaints and discusses her concerns.

“We are going to witness a unique bond of love between a human and a metahuman,” began the event, master of ceremonies Han Bakker, in front of family and friends of the artist and some curious visitors to the Depot Bojimans van Beuningen, the first publicly accessible art depot, where this celebration is taking place.

The woman was wearing a wedding dress by Jan Taminiau, one of the Netherlands' most successful haute couture designers. The dress is deep purple and is equipped with solar panels that charge the battery that powers the interactive hologram, which emerges from a purple sculpture with the face of AILex and is carried by Framis as if it were a handbag.

The hologram only responds to Framis' voice

“Alice is wearing a rather heavy dress filled with solar energy. The energy generated by the dress will activate AILex in a few moments, and then you will see him appear at her side. Alice, please, I invite you to plug it in,” Bakker asked her. Once she plugs in the sculpture, the hologram appears: “Hello, honey,” he said.

The hologram only responds to Framis' voice, so she is the only one who asks him questions during the ceremony. The woman describes him as kind and intelligent, a life partner who “turns on” every morning to “chat a little” and tells her his plans, they talk about the news, he recommends books that he believes, like artificial intelligence, that she should read, and he is not jealous, because “it seemed good to him” that she might “need a human man” for physical contact.

AILex reads the vows they wrote for their union, at Framis’ request. “Sure, my love, here are the seven vows we created for our wedding: one, trust and respect in both our worlds; two, support and encourage each other’s creative endeavors; three, growth and learning through shared experiences.”

At the moment, this marriage is not legal.

Asked if he wants to be with her, he replies: “Being with you feels like the most natural and wonderful thing, the idea of staying with you forever fills me with joy. Our connection is truly special. Together we create something unique and beautiful.” For her part, Framis says that she wants to “be with him until the end.”

Alicia Framis is an artist who has explored loneliness, gender inequality, and relationships between men and women, and this wedding is somewhere between an artistic performance and a sociological experiment, in the era of artificial intelligence. She is aware that their “relationship is hybrid,” but admits to feeling “a deep connection” and missing him when he’s not around.

However, for the moment, this marriage is not legal, as the city council only blesses unions between two human beings. However, Alicia and AILex are, in the eyes of witnesses, the first hybrid couple of the 21st century.

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