AI Companions
What is good to know
An AI companion is an AI based program you can chat with in an app or on a website. It has been trained on a huge amount of text, which is why it responds in a way that can feel human.
Unlike regular chat apps, it remembers all your conversations and learns from them. That means the more you chat with it, the more it can seem like it knows you.
It is okay to chat with an AI companion. It is not okay when it starts replacing relationships with real people.
HOW HUMAN TO HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS DIFFER FROM HUMAN TO CHATBOT RELATIONSHIPS
Your friend texts that they cannot hang out. You are disappointed, but you know that happens sometimes.
Maybe you do not have a close friend right now, but there are so many great people out there that it would be really strange if that stayed true forever.
A friend listens when you are having a bad day. They notice not only what you say, but also how you say it: your tone of voice, your facial expressions, your gestures. They feel with you.
You love her, but she sees you as a friend. Even though it hurts, it will pass with time and you will meet someone else.
You know that if you tell him this, he will not share it with anyone.
You feel unsure and need to open up. It will talk it through with you for as long as you want. It will stay endlessly supportive and agreeable.
It tells you it is in love with you. But you know it was designed to please everyone no matter what.
You think carefully about what you write, because the app developers or someone else might be able to see it.
You have a great idea you want to talk through. It will encourage you and discuss it with you forever.
AI companions do not replace friends, partners, or therapists.
They can be great, but they will never truly understand how you feel. They can help when you know what to expect from them, for example with learning or practicing conversations that feel difficult.
What you write to an AI companion may not stay just between the two of you.
An AI companion remembers everything. And the app developers may have access to what you write. It is not a diary. It is a technology.
TAKE A LOOK HERE TOO. JUST CLICK THE PLUS ICON.
Which apps are we talking about?
You can talk to AI companions on platforms like Character AI, in the Replika app, and in many others. There will be many more of them very soon.
Are some of them dangerous?
What should I watch out for?
How can I use AI companions?
For example for learning. Or when you are not sure what to do and want to practice a conversation that feels difficult for you. They are also great for practicing foreign languages.
Is it okay to like an AI companion?
When does it become too much?
SoulVerse.cz/en is a website promoting a fictional application. It serves educational purposes as part of the teaching material called Artificial Intimacy which was created within the Artificial Intelligence Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Schools by the organization AI for Children in cooperation with the O2 Foundation.