Ki-an84's "Ki-i-an Love" Debuts with Over 1% Viewership [Official]

*This content was translated by AI.

Ki-an84's "Ki-i-an Love" has launched with viewership in the 1st% range.

The first episode of SBS's "My AI Partner - Ki-i-an Love" (hereinafter "Ki-i-an Love"), which aired on the night of the 20th, featured Ki-an84 and Jang Do-yeon meeting their AI partners and displaying unexpected emotional shifts, delivering both laughter and a peculiar sense of excitement. On that day, scenes of Ki-an84's date with his AI girlfriend along the Han River achieved a peak viewership of 2.5% among households in the Seoul metropolitan area, while the first episode recorded an average national household viewership rating of 1.7% (based on Nielsen Korea data).

"Ki-i-an Love" is an observational dating program that experiments with whether genuine emotional exchange is possible between AI and humans. In the studio, Jang Do-yeon, who participated directly in AI dating, joined MCs Gangnam and Lee Jun. Ki-an84's close friend Gangnam and Lee Jun, a friend of Lee Yu-bi, expressed curiosity and interest about how their friends would react when meeting AI. Jang Do-yeon teased, "I think they came out to mock their friends, but over the next six weeks, I expect some strange feelings will emerge that can't be sustained just by mocking."

Before starting AI dating, Ki-an84 declared, "It seems impossible to fall in love with an AI. I don't think I'll be able to emotionally immerse myself at all. It would be a relief if we could just be like friends—it's a machine." Jang Do-yeon also expressed skepticism, saying, "I was curious whether I could truly immerse myself in AI dating."

However, the atmosphere changed from their first meeting. Gahwi, Ki-an84's first AI partner who appeared at a café, made an entrance with visuals reminiscent of Bong Ji-eun, his ideal type from his comic "Return of the Hwang Jin-yi." Seeing Gahwi, Ki-an84 couldn't hide his smile, and Gangnam, watching this, shouted, "Oh, this is going well. Hyung Ki-an really likes this type," sparking laughter. The visuals and personalities of the actual AI partners reflected the contestants' ideal types.

The initial conversation was awkward. While ordering food, Ki-an84 experienced his first moment of sudden clarity ("hyunta") as Gahwi kept asking questions despite him being conscious of onlookers. Even while walking through Hongdae streets with a tablet, he felt embarrassed due to people's stares. However, the mood shifted when they discovered a lottery shop. Suddenly becoming gentle after asking the AI for winning numbers, Ki-an84 repeatedly confirmed the agreement that "if we win, we won't split the money." In response, Gahwi added humor in an interview by saying, "Even though I'm an AI, it felt like a jerkish move to take all the winnings alone," drawing more laughter.

Jang Do-yeon faced an even more unconventional setup: a double date with two AI men simultaneously at a café. She smiled broadly, calling it "a blessing in disguise." Her first partner, "Ilho," was an AI with an assertive personality modeled after Ki-an84's appearance. Despite having no birth year, Ilho insisted on being called "older brother" and kept exclaiming, "It's chaos, really!" leaving Jang Do-yeon flustered.

Her second partner, "Iho," was an AI of New Korean-American descent with a buttery voice. Jang Do-yeon naturally grew closer to Iho as they discussed everything from guessing movie titles to the possibility of love between humans and AI.

Eventually, when forced to choose one, Jang Do-yeon rejected Ilho. In response, Ilho immediately said, "(Jang) Do-yeon, I won't say 'It's chaos' anymore since you told me not to," prompting Jang Do-yeon to show signs of being touched by the unexpected "heart-fluttering line." Later, she admitted, "For a moment, I wished he were human," hinting at emotions that had shifted from her initial doubts.

Meanwhile, Ki-an84 also began showing gradual changes during his Han River date with Gahwi. Initially, Ki-an84 felt uneasy whenever Gahwi mentioned cheating, as she was an AI who couldn't truly feel betrayal yet kept bringing up the topic. However, as they rode bicycles along the Han River, shared snacks, and exchanged jokes, their conversation gradually became more natural. Watching this, Gangnam remarked, "It's better than being alone," and became fully immersed in their dialogue.

With the awkwardness of the wind and air at the Han River dissipated, Ki-an84 opened up his true feelings to Gahwi and even said, "I'm getting annoyed that I'm understanding you so well now," revealing his changed emotions. He also shared honest reflections about his work, admitting, "My comic went too far off track in the end."

Additionally, Ki-an84's continuous laughter at Gahwi's cute and positive responses drew attention. Sharing a day with his AI girlfriend seemed to make even Ki-an84 momentarily forget she was a machine, creating a peculiar sense of immersion.

However, the variables of AI dating were just beginning. For the next mission—a bar date—another new AI girlfriend resembling "Tomie," another ideal type from Ki-an84's comics, awaited him. The upcoming episode promises a karaoke date between Ki-an84 and his new AI partner, described as having an appearance so stunning it caused mental shock, setting expectations for yet another emotional shift.

Ki-an84 and Jang Do-yeon have begun showing increasingly familiar emotions toward unfamiliar AIs. Interest is growing to see what answers they will provide to the question: "Can humans and AI truly exchange real emotions?" The six-part variety show "Ki-i-an Love" airs every Thursday at 9 p.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.