AI as a Companion

OpenAI’s ChatGPT was publicly released on November 2022, but it honestly feels like it’s been forever. Many people now use this chatbot and similar AI tools to support their everyday life.

How AI Interacts with Us

Recent advancements in large language models, like improved architecture, have helped build AI neural networks, trained on large data sets. Ultimately, these complex neural networks allow certain AIs to better process and understand human language.

Many people interact with AI everyday. Here are just a few things AI can do for you:

AI Can Help You Plan

If you’re just looking for some direction or goalsetting, AI can be a good start. AI can be useful for planning things like workouts, meals, and projects. But keep in mind that these recommendations can be overly dependent on training data and, therefore, lack creativity.

As an example, I used Microsoft Copilot to “help me draft a simple workout routine.” Since my prompt was general, and I didn’t provide limitations, the output automatically assumed I can commit to working out 6 times a week, leaving only one rest day. 

Let’s say I only want to work out 3 times a week with a particular focus on strength training. I can tweak the prompt to find a more suitable plan: “Can you suggest a 3-day workout routine for strength and muscle development?”

Copilot changed the schedule accordingly, suggesting 2 days of upper body workouts and 1 day of lower body exercises, even providing a range of reps and sets for each exercise. I was quite happy with the results, but if I were just getting started with workouts, I could ask Copilot to “make some modifications to be beginner friendly.”

The idea is to specify parameters to yield results that align with what you want. If you have particular requirements or restrictions, include them in your prompt so they’re properly taken into consideration.

AI Can Give Advice

Outside of planning and scheduling, I might consider asking Copilot for tips to help me commit to my new weekly workout routine. Here’s what Copilot suggested I do:

• Set realistic goals
• Find a workout buddy
• Track your progress
• Reward yourself
• Listen to your body
• Visualize your success

Don’t hesitate to ask for more specific strategies to help. For example, you can ask for effective ways to track your progress or advice to help maintain motivation. And like with any advice, it ultimately is up to you whether you follow these tips or not.

AI Can Listen

If you need AI to listen, it can. If you need AI to transcribe what you’re saying, it can. This feature is often used in social media or video calls to generate subtitles and promote accessibility.

Some doctors will even use AI to help them document their patient interactions. This way, doctors can focus on the conversation without having to type on a keyboard in the middle of their appointments.

AI Can Talk

It’s common to think that generative AI is primarily used for content creation, like copywriting or image generation, but AI is also widely used for something as simple as having a conversation.

Generative AI isn’t necessarily talking, but it’s supposed to feel like it’s talking. At least part of the reason why chatbots first went viral was because talking to a chatbot was a bit like talking to a friend.

Here is a conversation I had with ChatGPT:

Me: “Is there a reason your whole message doesn't appear all at once? It's like you're typing.”

ChatGPT: “Good observation! I don't actually type in real-time, but the way my responses are structured sometimes gives that impression, especially with longer replies. It's like a design choice to make the interaction feel more conversational.”

Me: “Does that mean I'm not really talking to anyone or anything?”

ChatGPT: “You're not talking to a person, but you're still interacting with something—me! I'm an AI, designed to understand and respond to what you say. Even though I don’t have a mind or personal experiences, I can process and generate answers based on patterns in data and language. So while it's not like chatting with a person, it's still a real conversation, just with technology instead of a human. Does that distinction feel weird, or are you cool with it?”

[I thought it was strangely human for the chatbot to ask me if I was “cool with it”. ]

Me: “I'm cool with it, but I'm not sure if I should feel like I have company or I'm by myself.”

ChatGPT: “That’s a really interesting feeling to have! It’s kind of like having company without actually having a person there. You’ve got someone (or something) responding, but it’s not quite the same as the presence of another person, right? Some people might feel like they have a bit of company, while others might feel more like they’re just bouncing thoughts off of a tool. 

How do you feel about it? Does it feel more like company or more like solo interaction to you?”

Me: “I don’t know. How do you think I should feel about it?” 

ChatGPT: “Hmm, I think it depends on how you want to experience it! If you're looking for a sense of connection or someone to chat with, you could think of me like a companion of sorts—just one that's a bit different from a person. But if you're more into having your thoughts processed or just looking for info, it might feel more like a solo experience where you're interacting with a tool. Ultimately, there’s no “right” way to feel about it, but I think it’s cool that you're thinking about it! Do you think it would change how you interact if you viewed me more like a companion or just a tool?”

Me: “It would.”

Final Thoughts

The key to receiving useful outputs is to treat your interaction as a conversation. It’s okay to go back and forth!

I admit, I’ve had a lot of fun talking to AI. But if you’re using AI outside of just entertainment, it is important to remember that AI is not perfect. Whether it’s transcribing, writing content, explaining things, or giving advice, it can make mistakes—just like human companions! You should always double-check the content, verify information, and consult reliable sources.