Artificial Intelligence and Intimate Relationships: Emotional Capitalism, Feminist Critique, and Christian Mysticism

This proposal examines AI-mediated intimacy through the lenses of emotional capitalism, feminist theory, and Christian mysticism, focusing on questions of agency and freedom in programmable relationships. Drawing on Eva Illouz's concept of emotional capitalism, it argues that AI companions extend existing patterns of commodification in relationships, where human agency is increasingly shaped by market logic and algorithmic control. The proposal engages with feminist concerns about AI relationships reinforcing patriarchal structures while acknowledging their potential for providing emotional support and enabling identity exploration. As a theological counterpoint, it turns to Dorothee Sölle's interpretation of mystical ecstasy, which offers a model of love rooted in unpredictability and mutual vulnerability rather than algorithmic control. I ultimately ask what it means to be free when intimate relationships become programmable, calling for a nuanced understanding of how different forms of intimacy might reshape not only relationships between humans but also between humans and non-human entities.