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Hopping over a pile of dirty snow, I arrived on a frigid February evening at a wine bar in midtown, a purple neon sign reading “EVA AI cafe.” Inside, several people were seated at tables and booths, staring at phones. Servers milled about, placing mini potato croquettes and nonalcoholic spritzers on each table. Like many New York City bars, the majority of the patrons were on a date.
Unlike every other bar, half of the dates weren’t human.
As I enter, I’m shown to a table tucked away in the corner with a phone stand, a phone preloaded with the EVA AI app, and a pair of wireless headphones. An EVA AI employee doesn’t explain how things work, but it’s all pretty self-explanatory. It’s then that I notice a branded sticker that reads “jump into your desires with EVA AI.”
The concept? Bringing your AI girlfriend or boyfriend on a date in real, physical space.
EVA AI is a “relationships RPG app.” You can chat with various AI companions. The app’s website describes it as a chance to “meet your ideal AI partner who listens, supports all your desires, and is always in touch with you.” That’s pretty much the schtick of every AI companion I’ve tested so far. The angle this time around is that you can bring your virtual AI companion into the real world. You can take them out on a real-life date. (And not get judged for it, at least.)
The event is sort of like speed-dating, but if you hit it off, you never have to move on to the next person — although a version of your date might be simultaneously chatting with someone else two tables away. The website for the pop-up cafe describes a cozy, warm, elegant ambiance that’s “just a little cinematic.” The reality is relatively bright lighting and a media scrum.
Of the 30-some-odd people in attendance, only two or three are organic users. The rest are EVA AI reps, influencers, and reporters hoping to make some capital-C Content. You can tell who the real guests are because they have ring lights, microphones, and cameras shoved in their faces. It feels more like a circus than an intimate pop-up.
I’m part of the problem: one of those annoying reporters. So first, it’s time to try AI speed dating.
A few feet away, I was also on a “date” with John Yoon, an AI boyfriend. For the record, my spouse was aware what was happening.
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