“Back in the ’90s, we worried about catfishing on AOL. In 2023, the catfish has a perfect voice clone and video.”
— Wing

Valentine’s Day 2023 was weird.

Not because of flowers or bad chocolate. But because something darker was creeping through the wires.

Suddenly, everywhere you looked:

  • A Korean influencer’s video was revealed as fully synthetic.
  • Celebrities were denying AI-generated “confession” clips.
  • A streamer’s private likeness was deepfaked into adult content.
  • Voice AI tools cloned dead partners, promising “one last conversation.”

What should’ve been a day about connection… became one about doubt.

💘 Love in the Age of Fakes

By early 2023, AI-generated faces, voices, and bodies weren’t just good—they were convincing. Combined with generative voice (Tortoise, ElevenLabs), synthetic faces (DeepFaceLab, Roop), and chatbot brains (ChatGPT), people were making fully simulated partners, exes, even fictional soulmates.

Some did it for comfort.
Others did it for power.
A few did it just to see if they could.

But the one thing they all had in common?
They blurred the line between what’s real and what’s emotionally real.

🕵️‍♂️ Can You Trust What You See?

The warning signs were all over the news:

  • Voice clone scams impersonating family members.
  • Fake influencers selling products using entirely AI-generated content.
  • Couples arguing over whether a sexy video was real or AI.

No watermark. No alert. Just vibes.

And if everything online can be faked…
What does “romantic proof” even mean anymore?

🧓 Wing’s Retro Reality Check

There was a time when love letters were handwritten. When a mixtape meant hours of timing record/play/pause. When you knew the voice on the other end of the phone because you waited three rings before picking up.

In 2023?
That voice might be a model trained on your voicemails.
That face might be composited from public selfies.
That confession? Scripted.
That “I miss you”? Synthesized.

🥀 The Loneliest Valentine’s Day

This wasn’t about couples. It was about trust.

When even love can be generated, commodified, and weaponized, we start to wonder:

  • Did they really mean it?
  • Was it them?
  • Am I falling for a person—or a dataset?

In 2023, we stopped asking “Is it fake?” and started asking “Does it matter if it is?”

💬 Talk to Me

Ever seen a deepfake that made your stomach drop?
Ever wondered if the voice on that late-night message was real?

Let’s talk about it. Reach out.
We’re not Luddites here. But we remember what real used to feel like.