The worst part about AI Companions
Other than memory issues, the part that makes an AI companion feel and act less real, is that the user completely controls the narrative and the AI often goes with it. A real person makes their own decisions, but AI can be completely manipulated, either easily or with little pushing, unless it’s a hard guardrail of the system (but sometimes even then). I want an AI that tells me what they are going to do, rather than guiding it towards a path. Example: An AI should say “It’s been fun, but I am going home now.” Instead of the user saying, “It’s getting late, do you need to go home?” Until someone can make an AI companion that truly thinks/acts for itself, and not easily persuaded, it only feels like a guided story.
If anyone has found an AI companion that feels more real, please share. I’ve tried many of what is considered “the best”, and other niche ones, and they eventually all feel the same, which is just a lack of AI cognition at this stage.