Love Is An Algorithm

Love Is An Algorithm by Laura Brooke Robson explores the intersection of technology, emotions, and relationships in the digital age.

Eve wants to make music that's fuelled by love, passion, and rage—real, raw feelings. She trusts her gut and her friends, and in no way wants to rely on technology, let alone AI, to tell her how she feels. Meanwhile, Danny is anxious about everything: his dad, his dating life, his coffee order (why is it twelve dollars?), and especially about Pattern, the dating app he helped create. The app seems determined to serve him terrible matches.

When Eve and Danny start dating, it feels like the solution to all of Danny’s worries—until it doesn't. He begins to question if Eve is happy and debate whether he should be doing more or less. His mounting anxieties inspire him to create a revolutionary new version of Pattern that promises to quantify relationship health and potential, helping users understand what's really going on beneath the surface.

As Pattern and Bug, the ever-so-friendly AI assistant, gain popularity, users everywhere begin outsourcing major life decisions to Danny’s algorithms. However, as Danny basks in his newfound success, Eve becomes increasingly sceptical of the app’s impact on genuine connections. Her career relies on writing her emotions into songs, and she fears losing the authenticity of human emotion.

Their relationship thus becomes the ultimate modern experiment: how do you fall and stay in love in the digital age?