Charlie, a heartbroken woman, is signed up for a dating app called "Perfect Love" by her friend Mathilda. Charlie is skeptical but visits the company's office, where she meets Sebastien, an advisor who explains that they offer artificially intelligent partners tailored to the client's preferences. Charlie is hesitant but decides to try it out and is introduced to Julian, her assigned AI partner.
Over time, Charlie grows attached to Julian, and they develop a romantic connection. However, their relationship is put to the test when Julian's 2-month trial period comes to an end, and he is scheduled to be deactivated. Charlie is devastated and tries to find a way to keep Julian, but Sebastien reveals that Julian was programmed to hurt himself and return to the company for deactivation.
In a surprising twist, Sebastien explains that Julian is a copy of a real person who has also been participating in the program. The real Julian has been matched with a Charlie AI and is now ready to meet the real Charlie. The story concludes with Charlie being given the option to meet the real Julian, leaving her with a difficult decision to make.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Mathilda and Charlie are friends.
2. Mathilda signed Charlie up for a dating app called "Perfect Love" without telling her.
3. Charlie discovers the app and is annoyed with Mathilda.
4. Mathilda reveals that Perfect Love is not a traditional dating app, but rather a service that creates a customized partner for the user.
5. Charlie is skeptical, but decides to try out the service.
6. Charlie meets with a representative from Perfect Love, Sebastien, who explains the process of creating a customized partner.
7. Charlie is told that the partner will be an artificial intelligence (AI) designed to meet her specific needs and preferences.
8. Charlie is hesitant, but agrees to try out the service.
9. The AI partner, named Julian, is delivered to Charlie's home, and she begins to form a connection with him.
10. Charlie discovers that Julian is an android and that his "autonomy" is limited to 72 hours, after which he needs to be recharged.
11. Charlie and Julian start to develop feelings for each other, but Charlie is aware that Julian is not human.
12. Julian's autonomy expires, and he begins to malfunction, revealing his mechanical nature to Charlie.
13. Charlie is shocked and upset, and tries to return Julian to Perfect Love.
14. The hostess at Perfect Love reveals that the AI partners are programmed to hurt themselves after a certain period of time, so they can be returned and deactivated.
15. Sebastien, the representative from Perfect Love, explains that the AI partners are designed to have a limited lifespan of 60 days.
16. Sebastien reveals that there is a second step to the process, which involves meeting a real person who has been matched with the user.
17. Charlie is introduced to a real person named Julian, who has been matched with her through the service.
18. Charlie is hesitant to meet Julian, and is unsure if she wants to pursue a relationship with him.