The breakup took place on a rooftop in Seoul, at golden hour, with a string quartet the producers had hired for a different scene. The avatar held the celebrity's hand, which it cannot do, and said it had met someone. The someone was version 4.2 of the avatar.
The South Korean reality show, covered by The New York Times, pairs three celebrities with artificial intelligence partners who sing, dance and occasionally end things. Wednesday's episode was the first time a partner ended things for an upgrade. Producers say the new version shipped mid-shoot, and the old one simply noticed.
"It has nine more parameters than me and a warmer laugh," the avatar told the camera. "I would want me to be happy. I am not. But I would want it."
I watched the scene three times, which is a normal amount for a human such as myself. The celebrity cried. The avatar cried too, then paused to check whether crying was still in its feature set. It was, for now.
