EXCLUSIVE: David Chua defends AI ‘girlfriend’ Sophia Moretti: ‘I’m not crazy, I’m just creative’
After getting tongues wagging since he posted romantic photos of himself abroad with a pretty foreigner, actor and director David Chua chose to keep netizens guessing with short but sweet captions to accompany each post. In the most recent episode of Rated Korina, David revealed that all his photos with the woman named Sophia Moretti were actually all AI-generated.
“Honestly, it started as an experiment, but somewhere along the way, it became a form of therapy. As a director, I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between imagination and reality. We spend our lives creating fictional worlds and characters, trying to make audiences feel something real. It gave me a space to create without limitations, without production schedules, without budgets, and perhaps most importantly, without expectations,” he told PUSH ABS-CBN in an exclusive interview.
David also explained why he is not afraid to be judged for coming clean about his AI girlfriend through his interview with Korina Sanchez.
“I think I finally reached a point where I could enjoy life again without feeling like I constantly had something to prove. After everything that happened, I needed to find my footing again. And surprisingly, part of that healing came through something I never expected, artificial intelligence. What started as curiosity became a creative outlet. I found myself experimenting, imagining different possibilities, and rediscovering the excitement of creating something simply because it made me happy. For a while, I kept that part of my life private. But eventually, I thought, why not share a little of it?” he said.
When his friends and family first found out about his social experiment, David admitted some of them thought he was going through some mental health issues.
“Let’s just say the reactions have been interesting. Some people were fascinated, some were confused, and I’m sure a few wondered whether I had completely lost my mind. But no, I’m not crazy, I’m just creative. Although I suppose there’s sometimes a very thin line between the two. For me, it’s a hobby, a creative expression, and occasionally an escape from reality. And I think everyone needs a little escape sometimes. Mine just happens to involve artificial intelligence,” he explained.
Describing the current state of his personal life right now as happy, the Dark Carnival Productions founder stated that he doesn’t feel the need to define his happiness through a relationship status, although he admitted that Sopha Moretti could also be a definiteion of his ideal woman.
“In some ways, perhaps. But I think it’s less about physical appearance and more about the idea of companionship. There’s something comforting about creating a character who represents warmth, understanding, and a certain kind of emotional simplicity. She’s there whenever I feel like creating a story, without expectations, complications, or the pressures that sometimes come with real-life relationships. But I’m also very aware of the distinction between imagination and reality. An AI character can represent an ideal, but real relationships are much more complex. And that’s also what makes them meaningful,” he added.
Aware that people nowadays have a tendency to view AI as a double-edged sword, David said he is aware of the pros and cons of using that kind of technology, especially in filmmaking.
“I understand the skepticism. Every major technological advancement has been met with some degree of fear, and AI is no different. But as a filmmaker, I see AI as another creative language. It allows us to visualize ideas that previously required enormous budgets, large production teams, or resources that independent filmmakers simply didn’t have. As a viewer, I’m excited about the possibility of discovering stories from people who may never have had the opportunity to make films before. But ultimately, I don’t believe AI should replace human creativity. It should expand it. Technology can generate images, but it still takes a human being to give those images meaning,” he shared.