Welcome back to Tech Briefs. Today we’re diving into the strange rise of AI kiss and hug apps. Scroll through TikTok or Instagram and you’ll see ads promising you can “smooch your crush” or “see her in a blue bikini” with a tap. Apps like Boom.AI, VideoAI, and DreamVid charge subscriptions and microtransactions—some up to $7.99 a week—to let you generate short videos from one or two photos. But the results are, in the words of one reviewer, “more cursed than magical.” Kissing looks awkward “like how a toddler imagines kissing,” and hugs come off stiff with weird limb placements. Racial biases also creep in, with mixed-race couples suddenly sharing more Eurocentric features. Despite major platforms’ rules against explicit AI deepfakes, these borderline creepy tools slip through moderation. Yet some users find solace in reanimating lost loved ones. As one tester put it, “It was good enough to sketch the shape of my longing.” The question isn’t just what these apps can do, but why we want to see ourselves reflected in them. That’s all for today—see you next time.
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