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VIRTUAL HEARTBREAK
A Brazilian man sold all his belongings and traveled more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) to meet the woman of his dreams, whom he hoped to marry — only to discover that his dream girl was just an avatar, virtually generated.
Edimar Martins said that he initially came across a social media account under the name of “Jéssica Oliveria” in 2020.
They chatted and connected over time. However, the 49-year-old bricklayer says that he never had any suspicion that he had been chatting with an AI character.
Eventually, he came to the decision that it was finally time to meet the love of his life.
Edimar Martin posed for a photo of himself after traveling over 1,200 miles from his town in northeastern Brazil to Belo Horizonte, the capital of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, to meet his Jessica.
To cover the cost of the long-haul bus ticket, Edimar sold his belongings.
“I sold all my things. I got rid of everything,” the disappointed bricklayer later said. “Who would not get discouraged?”
After arriving in Belo Horizonte, he tried to find his long-distance girl friend. He carried photographs of her and approached people, asking whether they recognized her. His search yielded no answers...until he asked employees at the local radio station.
“I went to the radio station there, and they said, “No, she is fake news. That woman does not exist,” he remembers.
Edimar eventually ran out of money and went to Belo Horizonte City Hall, where he confessed to a social worker that he had traveled far for love because he was tired of being lonely.
The city government took pity on him and bought him a ticket home.
In a video—that has since been deleted—from a social media account which has 300,000 followers – the beautiful, AI-generated woman states that she was searching for a man whom she could move to her farm and fully support financially.
“I really want to support you. I want you to come to my farm and never work again in your life,” the AI-Jessica says.
The person behind the account has admitted that the character was virtual, but he denied having any direct contact with Edimar.
The creator has his pretend Jessica say: “I have never spoken to anyone with Edimar Martin’s profile. It is a surprise to me to see what is happening.”
Heartbroken, Edimar is now staying with a family member but has vowed to return to Belo Horizonte to meet a real woman, next time, that he can really settle down with.
“I did not find her this time, but I will find another one, and it will be in the same place. I will go again,” he says.
We cannot help but admire Edimar’s positive attitude, so we would like to offer him two bits of ancient but updated advice: “Let the buyer always beware!” and “Today, if something seems too good to be true, it is probably AI.”
SOURCE: nypost.com
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