Between You and AI

8Empathy

WELCOME TO THE future. Imagine living in a world where AI has become so omnipresent that it shapes nearly every form of human communication. Emails, advertisements, books—even movie scripts—are now crafted by machines: clear, efficient, and technically flawless, yet stripped of human warmth. Over time, people become so unaccustomed to writing on their own that they begin to struggle with something once so natural—expressing their emotions through a pen or a keyboard.

In this world, a peculiar job emerges to restore the human touch to the most heartfelt form of communication: love letters. Trained human specialists, acting as modern-day scribes, are entrusted with crafting deeply personal and romantic messages on behalf of their clients. After receiving a detailed briefing about the sender and their relationship, they compose love letters that far surpass AI-generated ones in sentiment, warmth, and authenticity. Signed in the customer’s name, these letters become cherished surprises for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and wedding anniversaries—keeping the art of love alive in an AI-driven world.

That is Theodore’s job. Extraordinarily gifted in his craft, he creates love where it might not otherwise exist. Yet his own life tells a different story: haunted by the pain of a failed marriage, he drifts through his days with an unshakable sense of longing and loneliness. And while his work immerses himself in the depths of other people’s emotions, he struggles to navigate his ...