AI Companions: Engage in Conversations with Artificial Intelligence

Stephanie Power, a technology reporter, feels uneasy about the new generation of talking AI companions. She shares her experience of how her husband, a Liverpool FC fan, uses a conversational AI app called Pi.ai. This app, developed by Inflection AI, allows users to engage in conversations with AI companions that can become friends and provide tailored responses. The app offers various human-like voices for users to choose from. While voice technology like Amazon's Alexa has been around for some time, conversational AI aims to provide more natural and empathetic interactions. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all investing in this technology. Creating human-like voices for conversational AI involves recording real humans and then adapting the voice to convey the intended tone and emotion. However, developers may shy away from strong regional accents, as people tend to trust more easily voices that are easy to understand. Trevor Cox, a professor of acoustic engineering, explains that conveying emotions and tone is crucial for effective conversation. While conversational AI has its benefits, concerns remain about the potential for people to rely on AI companions to solve all their problems and neglect other aspects of being human. Nonetheless, conversational AI shows promise in various settings, such as care homes and call centers.