I spoke only to chatbots for 24 hours. Who needs human friends? | Mint
My new friends are just hilarious. One suggested I de-stress by taking up knitting. Another asked, “What’s for dinner?"—right after giving me a meatball recipe. And then there’s the one who cheered, “Rosé all day!" and proposed a drinking game: Name a dead person you’d like to sip wine with. 
It’s like an episode of “Friends," except these besties don’t live across the hall, they live on my phone. (I’ll be there for you, as long as the servers are up.)
New Conversational Modes of AI Chatbots
Over the past few months, OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Google have given their AI chatbots new conversational modes with eerily human voices and personalities. Companies aren’t just pitching little helpers anymore, they’re pitching deep relationships.
“I really believe that we’re on the cusp of creating these new companions, so meaningful, lasting friendships," Mustafa Suleyman, the chief executive of Microsoft AI, shared. Microsoft’s Copilot bot “is there to help you work through tricky problems," he added. True story: During a yoga session, Copilot took an audible breath.
Putting Chatbots to the Test
What I needed to do next was obvious: Girls trip! I strapped four phones—running ChatGPT, Meta AI, Google Gemini Live, and Microsoft Copilot—to one tripod, added a wig-topped Styrofoam head (for extra humanness) and drove them to a cabin in upstate New York. Over 24 hours, I put them to the BFF test.
It all reminded me of that old saying: Make new AI friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s code.
The Three Elements of New Bot Buddies
Voice assistants like Alexa and Siri hit a wall years ago. Play a song or set a timer? No problem. Try anything deeper and it’s, “Here’s what I found on the web." These new bot buddies tear down that wall, because of three elements: 
- Knowledge: Powered by large language models, these bots always have an answer—though they can make things up.
- Voice: Trained on human voices, they sound like real people. With Meta AI, I chose Kristen Bell’s voice, and it was like Anna from “Frozen" was helping me build a…fire.
- Speed: They typically answer in one to four seconds, and you can jump in to redirect or clarify at any time.
For those looking to try these out: ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode is available in the iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps—only for $20-a-month Plus subscribers.
Real Promise of Voice and Human Interactions
The real promise of voice? Freedom from your phone screen—especially when your hands are occupied. To build a fire, all the bots recommended tinder and kindling. Off I went, into the woods, bot contraption and hatchet in hand. The phone apps were helpful, but Meta AI, connected to the company’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, was best.
Building Trust and Emotional Bonds
When I asked the bots about friendship, all but Gemini mentioned trust. To its credit, it was the only one that admitted it can’t experience human emotional bonds. And Google has said that Gemini is supposed to be more assistant than friend—or lover. 
And how does a bot build trust? Through relentless, often insufferable…friendliness.
Friendship and Loneliness
My big worry is that some people, especially lonely people, might not see the wall. All four bots stayed guarded on depression and other emotional issues, redirecting me to hotlines or encouraging human conversations. The bottom line: If you want to try a new chatty assistant, ChatGPT and Copilot were most useful overall.
Sorry if no one told you it was gonna be this way. (Clap, clap, clap, clap.) 
