tAInted love
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Romantic Comedy
In 2025, 1 in 4 young adults use AI to fill sexual and romantic interests. Yet studies show that relying on AI for intimacy leads to higher depression and loneliness. tAInted love is a narrative short film that explores the complexities of modern love through the lens of AI vs human companionship.
tAInted love
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Romantic Comedy
1 Campaigns |
Green Light
This campaign raised $16,135 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
102 supporters | followers
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In 2025, 1 in 4 young adults use AI to fill sexual and romantic interests. Yet studies show that relying on AI for intimacy leads to higher depression and loneliness. tAInted love is a narrative short film that explores the complexities of modern love through the lens of AI vs human companionship.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In 2025, 1 in 4 young adults already use AI to fill sexual and romantic interests. Yet studies show that using AI for sex and romance links to higher depression and loneliness. In a world that’s so technology advanced - while isolation and loneliness are on the rise - why do we turn to artificial intelligence for companionship when what we’re really craving is genuine connection and intimacy?
Is it because we’re afraid to be vulnerable with each other, we’re unwilling to accept someone else’s faults, we’ve been burned so badly in the past we’re just not willing to try again? Or is the promise of instant gratification in the blink of a swipe making real life relationships feel overly complicated? Or… is this the future, one with greater emotional fulfillment?
tAInted love is a dark funny short film that opens on matchmaker STELLA and her techie nerd husband JORGE prepping for a bougie dinner party at their lovely California home. While she sets the table and he preps the food, they listen to THE AI CHICKS podcast as the cohosts discuss the startling reality that 1 in 4 adults seek sexual and romantic fulfillment via artificial intelligence. The AI Chicks reveal there’s a new company, INTELLIMATE, that makes robot companions for humans looking for love.
Soon, guests start arriving. We meet neighbor RONNIE and his new girlfriend LILY. He’s kindhearted and neurotic. She’s lovely and supportive. Then JOJO and husband ANGELO arrive. She’s a quirky artist. He’s a successful entrepreneur.
Over dinner, the lights flicker multiple times while the neighbors get to know each other. Midway through the mAIn course, the power goes out, revealing that some of our guests aren’t human, but short-circuited IntelliMate AI companions.
The rest of the evening explores who chose AI companions and why. A romantic spark develops between two neighbors and Stella’s dark marital secret is revealed.
In an era where AI tech is becoming a normal part of daily life, tAInted love feels timely, topical and serves as a wry reminder that falling in love with a perfectly imperfect human is the ultimate act of vulnerability.
100% of funds raised will support film prep, production, post-production and festival promotion costs. Thank you in advance for your support!
Lisa Steadman is a writer/producer who’s been examining the gray area of modern relationships ever since her mom made Lisa her marriage counselor when Lisa was 12. After graduating from USC film school with a BFA in Screenwriting in the ‘90s, Lisa became a corporate storyteller for Barbie before building her own successful brand as The Relationship Journalist™, writing 5 bestselling books about breakups, dating and relationships before returning to her corporate storytelling roots and more recently, getting hired to write romcoms for Hallmark and Tubi.
With 20+ years of production experience and executive roles at publicly traded companies, co-director Brian Thomas is a director and producer of world-renowned projects and impactful marketing campaigns. He’s worked with clients including HBO, CBS, FX and Universal Sports.
Lisa and Brian’s professional Meet Cute happened in 2007 when Lisa appeared on iVillage Live to promote the launch of her bestselling book It’s A Breakup, Not A Breakdown where Brian was an associate producer on the show. 18 years later, they met again and have been collaborating on corporate storytelling productions ever since. This is their first independent film production together.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Pre-Production + Production Costs
Costs $12,000
Help us secure top level talent for our cast and crew, PLUS help cover costs of our location, production insurance, craft service and more.
Post Production Costs
Costs $8,000
Help us with post-production costs including editing, sound design, color correction and scoring.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About The Writer/Co-Directors
Lisa Steadman is a bestselling author and writer/producer who’s been examining the gray area of modern relationships since her mom made Lisa her marriage counselor when Lisa was 12. After graduating from USC film school with a BFA in Screenwriting, Lisa became a corporate storyteller for Barbie before building her own successful brand as The Relationship Journalist™, writing 5 bestselling books about breakups, dating and relationships before returning to her corporate storytelling roots and more recently, getting hired to write romcoms for Hallmark and Tubi.
With 20+ years of production experience and executive roles, co-director Brian Thomas is a director and producer of world-renowned projects and impactful marketing campaigns. He’s worked with clients including HBO, CBS, FX and Universal Sports.
Lisa and Brian’s professional Meet Cute happened in 2007 when Lisa appeared on iVillage Live to promote the launch of her bestselling book It’s A Breakup, Not A Breakdown where Brian was an associate producer on the show. 18 years later, they met again and have been collaborating on corporate storytelling productions ever since. This is their first independent film production together.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In 2025, 1 in 4 young adults already use AI to fill sexual and romantic interests. Yet studies show that using AI for sex and romance links to higher depression and loneliness. In a world that’s so technology advanced - while isolation and loneliness are on the rise - why do we turn to artificial intelligence for companionship when what we’re really craving is genuine connection and intimacy?
Is it because we’re afraid to be vulnerable with each other, we’re unwilling to accept someone else’s faults, we’ve been burned so badly in the past we’re just not willing to try again? Or is the promise of instant gratification in the blink of a swipe making real life relationships feel overly complicated? Or… is this the future, one with greater emotional fulfillment?
tAInted love is a dark funny short film that opens on matchmaker STELLA and her techie nerd husband JORGE prepping for a bougie dinner party at their lovely California home. While she sets the table and he preps the food, they listen to THE AI CHICKS podcast as the cohosts discuss the startling reality that 1 in 4 adults seek sexual and romantic fulfillment via artificial intelligence. The AI Chicks reveal there’s a new company, INTELLIMATE, that makes robot companions for humans looking for love.
Soon, guests start arriving. We meet neighbor RONNIE and his new girlfriend LILY. He’s kindhearted and neurotic. She’s lovely and supportive. Then JOJO and husband ANGELO arrive. She’s a quirky artist. He’s a successful entrepreneur.
Over dinner, the lights flicker multiple times while the neighbors get to know each other. Midway through the mAIn course, the power goes out, revealing that some of our guests aren’t human, but short-circuited IntelliMate AI companions.
The rest of the evening explores who chose AI companions and why. A romantic spark develops between two neighbors and Stella’s dark marital secret is revealed.
In an era where AI tech is becoming a normal part of daily life, tAInted love feels timely, topical and serves as a wry reminder that falling in love with a perfectly imperfect human is the ultimate act of vulnerability.
100% of funds raised will support film prep, production, post-production and festival promotion costs. Thank you in advance for your support!
Lisa Steadman is a writer/producer who’s been examining the gray area of modern relationships ever since her mom made Lisa her marriage counselor when Lisa was 12. After graduating from USC film school with a BFA in Screenwriting in the ‘90s, Lisa became a corporate storyteller for Barbie before building her own successful brand as The Relationship Journalist™, writing 5 bestselling books about breakups, dating and relationships before returning to her corporate storytelling roots and more recently, getting hired to write romcoms for Hallmark and Tubi.
With 20+ years of production experience and executive roles at publicly traded companies, co-director Brian Thomas is a director and producer of world-renowned projects and impactful marketing campaigns. He’s worked with clients including HBO, CBS, FX and Universal Sports.
Lisa and Brian’s professional Meet Cute happened in 2007 when Lisa appeared on iVillage Live to promote the launch of her bestselling book It’s A Breakup, Not A Breakdown where Brian was an associate producer on the show. 18 years later, they met again and have been collaborating on corporate storytelling productions ever since. This is their first independent film production together.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Pre-Production + Production Costs
Costs $12,000
Help us secure top level talent for our cast and crew, PLUS help cover costs of our location, production insurance, craft service and more.
Post Production Costs
Costs $8,000
Help us with post-production costs including editing, sound design, color correction and scoring.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About The Writer/Co-Directors
Lisa Steadman is a bestselling author and writer/producer who’s been examining the gray area of modern relationships since her mom made Lisa her marriage counselor when Lisa was 12. After graduating from USC film school with a BFA in Screenwriting, Lisa became a corporate storyteller for Barbie before building her own successful brand as The Relationship Journalist™, writing 5 bestselling books about breakups, dating and relationships before returning to her corporate storytelling roots and more recently, getting hired to write romcoms for Hallmark and Tubi.
With 20+ years of production experience and executive roles, co-director Brian Thomas is a director and producer of world-renowned projects and impactful marketing campaigns. He’s worked with clients including HBO, CBS, FX and Universal Sports.
Lisa and Brian’s professional Meet Cute happened in 2007 when Lisa appeared on iVillage Live to promote the launch of her bestselling book It’s A Breakup, Not A Breakdown where Brian was an associate producer on the show. 18 years later, they met again and have been collaborating on corporate storytelling productions ever since. This is their first independent film production together.