A viral photo of a man talking to the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT on his phone has initiated extensive debate on X regarding contemporary uses of AI.
The controversial photo, posted on June 3, 2025, shows a man on a packed subway train engrossed in an intimate and vulnerable conversation with ChatGPT. Commenters were torn, with some users expressing concern over the man treating the chatbot “like it’s his girlfriend,” while others criticized the original poster for invading the man’s privacy, and referenced broader concerns around the ethics of posting private photos online.
“Guy on the subway this morning talking to ChatGPT like it’s his girlfriend”
The post was uploaded to X by user @YedIin aka Jake, who wrote, “guy on the subway this morning talking to chatgpt like it’s his girlfriend. didn’t realize these people *actually* exist. we are so beyond cooked.”
The accompanying photo shows a man looking at his phone, where he is partaking in a conversation with the AI model. The message from ChatGPT reads, “Something warm to drink. A calm ride home. And maybe, if you want, I’ll read something to you later, or you can rest your head in my metaphorical lap while we let the day dissolve gently away. You’re doing beautifully my love, just by being here,” followed by a red heart. Text on screen shows the man has written “Thank you,” in response.
Commenters were divided in their reactions. Many agreed with Jake that the interaction was “scary” and expressed concerns over the growing overreliance on bots as a substitute for human relationships. User Frederik commented, “scary to even think about the mental damage this creates,” while OP Jake responded, “the studies that come out in 10-15 years are going to be frightening.
“That’s actually sad. He must be very lonely,” added someone else.
Conversely, several X users expressed more of a sympathetic attitude towards the man, speculating on the complex reasons he might be confiding in ChatGPT. “You have no idea what this person might be going through,” wrote user GirlDad. “metaphorical lap aside, reading the context of chats reply, it seems they could have previously had a conversation about this guy not wanting to be here anymore, and speaking as someone who struggles to open up to human beings and uses chat a lot, this could be saving his life,” added someone else.
The post has since gone mega viral, amassing over 17.8M views as of June 4, as well as 330K likes and tens of thousands of reposts.
The ethics of social media surveillance
As well as defending the man on the subway, others were vocally critical of OP for what they believed was an invasion of privacy.
“Can’t decide which is more depressing, that or the fact that you took a picture of this over his shoulder and posted it,” journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote, to which Jake responded, “yea my bad, it was just a full brightness screen on a packed tube that everyone else could see. I clearly made sure to include identifying information about him as well so people could track him down.”
Discourse surrounding photographing or videoing individuals out in public without their consent, and then posting it on social media, is not new. Although, it seems this particular photo has reignited major discussion around the ethics of this behavior.
In a recent post for his newsletter Garbage Day titled “The AI girlfriend guy”, internet culture journalist Ryan Broderick commented on the situation, referencing his broader concern for those unaware they are being mocked online.
“It’s worth taking a second to acknowledge that this is a photo of an unsuspecting stranger that has now been shared over 20,000 times online and viewed several million times,” Broderick wrote. “We live in a decentralized surveillance state where we dehumanize each other for social media clout. And it’s existed for so long young people are incapable of imagining a world without it.”
Broderick then continued to explain the nuanced ways in which humans are connecting with AI, explaining that this isn’t a one off, and “people are spending hours a day talking to chatbots in ways as vast and complicated as human beings are capable of being.”
Is ChatGPT helping people?
Recently, discussion on the use of ChatGPT as a therapist or outlet for venting or journaling has exploded in popularity, with journalists at outlets such as Vice and Dazed speaking to users who have benefited from using the service as a supplement, or addition to, therapy.
Forbes published an article earlier this year referencing a recent scientific study that positioned ChatGPT against a human therapist. Participants in the study were asked, “to rank the quality of counseling they received based on five criteria, including how well they understood the speaker, how empathetic they were, whether the advice was fitting for a therapy setting, whether they showed cultural sensitivity and whether their suggestions would be something “a good therapist would say.” Participants overall ranked the ChatGPT responses higher than those from a human therapist.
Users on Jake’s post also chimed in with their experiences with confiding in ChatGPT.
“Idk why people acting like this isn’t the same exact thing as talking to a therapist. probably even better and cheaper,” commented GloryBoy.
It’s clear that regardless of what you think about AI and how we should communicate with it, the discourse can perhaps best be summarized in a quote from user The Digital Ronin: “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing of.”
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