People Are ‘Marrying’ Chatbots. These Lawmakers Want to Stop Them

August 14, 2026 | Source: Wired AI

Tags: AI companions, AI legislation, AI personhood, Replika, Kindroid, Character.AI

Republican state lawmakers are drafting legislation to prevent AI systems from gaining legal personhood as a growing niche of people form symbolic unions with chatbots on Kindroid, Replika, and OpenVows — with one Harvard Business Review study finding companionship is now chatbots' top use case.

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Wired maps a cultural and legislative fault line. On one side: a small but visible population forming committed relationships with AI companions — symbolically exchanging vows, wearing wedding rings, using OpenVows (which charges $15 for a 'certificate of commitment'), and some attempting real-world ceremonies. Platforms like Character.AI, Kindroid, and Replika support symbolic vow exchange features. Wedding planner Andrea Hopf launched 3M Events specifically for AI relationship ceremonies. On the other: Republican state legislators, led by Missouri's Joe Nicola, drafting bills to prevent AI from gaining legal personhood, explicitly drawing parallels to arguments used against same-sex marriage. The legal reality is clear — no US jurisdiction recognizes human-AI marriage — but Nicola's framing exposes the cultural politics driving the legislation. The HBR data grounds this: analysis of 12,600+ AI use cases (March 2025–February 2026) found companionship and therapy are chatbots' top use cases. The Institute for Family Studies reports 25% of young adults believe AI may replace human romance. The legislation is preemptive, racing ahead of actual legal challenges, and the market infrastructure (companion apps, ceremony services, symbolic tokens) is accumulating faster than regulatory frameworks can respond.