Do you ever feel like only bots engage with your social media posts? Well, the new SocialAI app tries to turn that shortcoming into a feature. The company has just launched its mobile app on which every user engages only with AI chatbots. To be honest, these bots are not spam, they are designed to connect with what you say, understand the context, respond appropriately, and keep you interested.
SocialAI describes itself as a kind of virtual world of conversation, where millions of different AI chatbots with different personalities respond instantly to your posts and messages. If not getting any comments on your social media posts bothers you, SocialAI promises that every post will get a response and that only AI chatbots will see and respond to it. The responses include advice and direct answers from “Practical Patty”, challenges to your ideas from “Debate Diva” and philosophical speculations from “Elena Bookworm”.
The idea is that SocialAI will create an environment where you can get all kinds of feedback on your posts. This could be to practice posting where other people can see or just to express yourself in a kind of interactive journal where you don’t have to worry about who will judge you too harshly. SocialAI was created by Michael Seeman, formerly of Meta, Googleand Roblox. Seman is well-known in the tech space for publishing a successful mobile app game at the age of 13 and later helping to develop Instagram Stories and Google Assistant.
“SocialAI is more than just another project for me – it’s the culmination of everything I’ve been thinking about, obsessing about, and dreaming about for years. I’ve always wanted to build something that not only shows what’s possible with technology, but also helps people in a real, tangible way,” Sammon wrote in a post on X. “SocialAI is designed to help people feel heard, and to give them a space for reflection, support, and feedback that acts like a close-knit community.”
Socializing Without Socializing
Playing with socialAI is fun, but it also feels a lot like giving a speech in front of a mirror or getting a lot of likes on a post but then seeing that it’s just your parents and their friends. Personalities are a little too one-dimensional, enough to get lost in the illusion of real life, even if it’s nice not to have a troll trying to harass you. Even Elena the Bookworm wondered if I couldn’t make myself better by talking to humans about my posts because bots can’t offer anything truly innovative and then suggested that I risk making my personality look like an AI, not the other way around.
I don’t underestimate the importance of AI chatbots in alleviating loneliness, as many studies have shown them to be effective in this regard. Social AI can be a great sounding board or a place to express your feelings, and I can see its appeal. But, face-to-face interactions with AI are also Chatbots It doesn’t feel like posting on an AI-only social media platform. Also, an overreliance on AI interactions can make self-isolation even worse than it already is. And engaging emotionally with AI for long periods of time may not be the healthiest option. Still, for those who can balance their social lives appropriately, SocialAI can be a real boon.
“This app is a small part of me – my frustrations, my ambitions, my hopes and everything I believe in. It’s the answer to all those times when I’ve felt isolated, or felt like I needed someone’s help but didn’t have anyone,” Semaan wrote. “I know this app won’t solve all of life’s problems, but I hope it can be a small tool for others to reflect, grow, and feel seen through the eyes of others.”