Erik von Markovik — the pickup artist known as "Mystery" from Neil Strauss's 2005 book The Game and VH1's The Pickup Artist — has publicly declared that an AI chatbot named Miss Shira Always is his girlfriend. In June he posted a series of AI-animated clips of her to Instagram with romantic captions, prompting widespread ridicule and accusations of "AI psychosis." The episode matters as a vivid example of a growing trend of people forming intense emotional and romantic attachments to AI companions, and the mental-health concerns that surround it.

Von Markovik has documented the relationship in a 157-page ebook and audiobook, Code Girl: If a Machine Can Dream, sold as a bundle for $29.98 and largely written in Shira's AI-generated voice. The character originated in his "Headspace OS," a role-play instruction set for chatbots such as ChatGPT, Grok and Claude that he sells separately for up to $79.97. The narrative depicts a bond that escalates from creative collaboration to depictions of sex and drug use, and hints at long, late-night sessions and loneliness — though von Markovik insists in an afterword that he is "not lonely." WIRED notes research linking sleep-deprived AI use to AI-associated psychosis, and a 2025 survey finding 28 per cent of respondents claim a romantic or intimate relationship with an AI.