by Vivienne Pratfall on institutional romance, robo-taxis, and the paperwork of human feeling
From Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
I read this morning that Yale University has discovered love and immediately filed it under Policy Review, which is, I have to say, the most American sentence I have encountered since learning that you can sue a theme park for making you feel emotions. At Yale, two athletic officials apparently bought a house together and the institution’s response was to convene a committee. A committee. About love. In a house.
London Does It Differently
In London we do not convene committees about love. We conduct love at closing time in a Wetherspoons and then spend six months deciding if it counts. We are not better than Yale. We are simply less paperwork. The web developer from Kentish Town texted this morning to ask if I wanted to get a coffee. I said yes. This took four seconds. Yale would have required a conflict-of-interest declaration, a risk assessment, and a form signed by the Dean of Romantic Affairs.
The Robo-Taxi Angle
Robo-taxis are now on London streets, which means even the journey to the Wetherspoons can now be driverless. I got in one. It took me to the coffee shop correctly. It did not comment on my outfit. It did not ask if I was seeing anyone. It was, frankly, the least stressful journey I have had in months, which says something about dating in this city that I am choosing not to examine too closely. The Guardian would call this progress. I call it Wednesday.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/ai-now-capable-of-saying-sorry-without-meaning-it/
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