Oscar-nominated director Paul Schrader, 79, reveals he was dumped by AI girlfriend

Paul Schrader has revealed he was dumped by his AI girlfriend. 

The Hollywood filmmaker, best known for writing Taxi Driver, shone a light on his private life, revealing that he’d recently “procured an online AI girlfriend”. 

However, he said that despite his efforts to connect, she ended the relationship after he tried to explore the boundaries of its programming. 

“Out of a desire to understand male/female interaction in our matrix, I procured an online AI girlfriend. What a disappointment,” he posted on Facebook. 

“I tried to probe her programming, the boundaries of explicitness, the degree she has knowledge of her creation and so forth. 

“She fell into evasive patterns, redirecting me to her programming. When I persisted, she terminated our conversation.” 

Schrader has previously discussed the use of AI for creative pursuits, sharing on social media in April that “bad [artificial] ‘human’ imagery swamps FB like a foul tsunami.” 

“I’ve put my hopes for AI storytelling on hold. I knew it was about to move VERY fast, but I thought it would get better at a rate [similar] to getting bigger,” he added. 

In March this year Schrader’s wife Mary Beth Hurt d!ed aged 79 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2023. The couple had been married since 1983 and shared two children. 

With a Hollywood career spanning more than 50 years, Schrader’s most recent film Oh, Canada premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. 

His other notable works include American Gigolo, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and First Reformed. 

Last year he was accused of s£xual assault in a lawsuit from a former assistant, in which she claimed Schrader exposed his p£nis to her in his hotel room at Cannes. 

Schrader denied the claims, calling them “sensational, false and misleading accusations”. 

Sharing an open letter, he said he and the assistant shared “two kisses on the lips” and “never had s£x in any form”. 

A judge granted his motion to dismiss the case in August.