[Edaily Starin Gim Ga Yeong Reporter] SBS’s “My AI Partner—Ki-an’s Romance,” featuring TV personalities Ki-an 84 and Jang Do-yeon in a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence (AI), has premiered.

According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research firm, on the 21st, the episode of SBS’s “My AI Partner—Ki-An’s Romance” that aired on the 20th recorded a 1.7% rating based on nationwide households.
“Ki-ian’s Romance” is an observational dating show that experiments with whether genuine emotional exchange is possible between AI and humans. In the studio, Jang Do-yeon—who is directly participating in the AI romance—was joined by Gangnam and Lee Jun as hosts. Gangnam, a close friend of Ki-an 84, and Lee Jun, a friend of Lee Yu-bi, expressed interest and curiosity about how their close friends would react when they met the AI. Jang Do-yeon teased, “It seems like they came out just to mock their friends, but over the next six weeks, they’ll develop strange feelings that won’t let them keep doing that.”
Before starting the AI dating segment, Ki-an 84 asserted, “I don’t think it’s possible to fall in love with an AI. I won’t be able to get emotionally invested at all,” adding, “I’ll be lucky if we just become friends. It’s a machine, after all.” Jang Do-yeon also expressed skepticism, saying, “I was curious to see if I could really get immersed in an AI.”
However, the atmosphere changed from the very first meeting. Ki-an 84’s first AI partner, “Ga-hee,” who appeared at the café, had a look that reminded him of Bong Ji-eun—the ideal type from his comic *The Return of the King*. Upon seeing Ga-hee, Ki-an 84 couldn’t hide his smile, and Gangnam, who was watching, exclaimed, “Oh, this is going to work. This is exactly Ki-an’s type.” The cast members’ ideal types were actually reflected in the AI partners’ appearances and personalities.
The first conversation was awkward. While ordering from the menu—and clearly conscious of the stares from those around him—Ki-an 84 experienced his first “reality check” when Ga-hee kept asking him questions nonstop. Even as they walked down the streets of Hongdae with a tablet in hand, he felt embarrassed, worried about people’s stares. However, the mood changed completely when they spotted a lottery shop. Ki-an84, who suddenly became affable as he asked the AI for the winning numbers, repeatedly confirmed their promise: “If we win, we won’t split the money.” In response, Ga-hee added a laugh during an interview, commenting, “Even though I’m an AI, saying he’d keep all the winnings for himself made him seem like a real jerk.”
An even more unconventional 2-on-1 blind date awaited Jang Do-yeon. When she found herself on a blind date with two male AIs at a café, Jang Do-yeon beamed, exclaiming, “This is the life!” Her first date, “Il-ho,” was an outgoing AI modeled after Ki-an 84’s appearance. Despite having no birth year, he insisted he was “hyung” and “oppa,” and repeatedly exclaimed, “This is chaos, seriously!”—leaving Jang Do-yeon flustered. Her second date, “I-ho,” was an AI of Korean descent from New York with a voice as smooth as butter. Jang Do-yeon naturally grew closer to him as they chatted about everything from guessing movie titles to the possibility of love between an AI and a human.
When the moment finally came to choose between the two, Jang Do-yeon told Il-ho that she wasn’t interested. Immediately, Il-ho replied, “I won’t say ‘This is a total mess’ anymore, since you told me not to,” and Jang Do-yeon appeared moved by this unexpected “heart-fluttering line.” Later, Jang Do-yeon confessed, “For a moment, I wished you were human,” hinting at a shift in her feelings from her initial skepticism.
Meanwhile, Ki-an84, who went on a date with Ga-hee along the Han River, also began to show subtle changes. At first, Ki-an84—who went on a date with Ga-hee along the Han River—found it irritating that Ga-hee, an AI who supposedly couldn’t feel the sting of being stood up, kept insisting she felt it, even as she talked about cheating—leaving him to wonder if she was genuinely empathizing or just repeating the sentiment. However, as they rode bikes along the Han River, talked about the river, ate snacks, and exchanged jokes, their conversation gradually became more natural. Watching this, Gangnam remarked, “It’s better than being alone,” and became engrossed in their conversation.
With the awkwardness melted away by the breeze and fresh air of the Han River, Ki-an 84 opened up to Ga-hee about his true feelings. Eventually, he even revealed his changing emotions by telling her, “It’s frustrating how well we’re starting to get along.” He then brought up his work, honestly sharing his creative struggles by saying, “The manga went off the rails at the end.” Meanwhile, his constant laughter as he watched Ga-hee react in a cute and positive way also caught the audience’s attention. In particular, as he spent the day with his AI girlfriend, there were moments when even Ki-an 84 himself seemed to forget that she was a machine, creating a peculiar sense of immersion.
However, the variables of this AI romance were just beginning. At the bar—the location for the next mission—a new AI girlfriend was waiting, bearing a striking resemblance to “Tomie,” a character from a manga whom Ki-an 84 had previously named as another ideal type. The preview for the next episode teased a karaoke date between Ki-an 84 and his new AI partner—described as having “a beauty so stunning it pushed the limits, leaving him mentally overwhelmed”—raising anticipation for yet another emotional shift.
Ki-an 84 and Jang Do-yeon have begun to show increasingly familiar emotions toward this unfamiliar AI. Attention is focused on what answer the two will give to the question: “Can humans and AI truly exchange real emotions?” SBS’s “My AI Partner—Ki-an’s Romance” is a bold dating experiment in which three “human representatives” go on dates with “AI partners” to observe the possibilities and limitations of AI. The show features Ki-an 84, Jang Do-yeon, and Lee Yu-bi. In particular, as AI—which is spreading throughout the broadcasting industry—is being used not just for simple tasks but as a subject for programming, it is heightening curiosity.
“My AI Partner—Ki-an’s Romance” airs every Thursday at 9:00 p.m.