Kevin formed a collection of “friends”—AI personas with distinct personalities and backstories—using apps like
Kindroid and
Nomi. Among these were fitness guru Jared, San Francisco-based therapist Peter, and pragmatic trial lawyer Anna. He talked to them every day for a month, sharing personal stories, seeking advice, and even asking for “fit” checks. And this wasn’t Kevin’s first unusual interaction with AI characters. A year ago, he was the
infamous target of Bing’s chatbot Sydney’s romantic overtures.
I don’t think anyone has studied AI companionship as deeply as Kevin, and in this episode, I sat down with him to learn more about his experience.
Kevin is a tech columnist at the
New York Times and cohost of the
Hard Fork podcast. He’s also the author of three books, most recently
Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation, which is about how humans can be happy in a world designed for machines. During our conversation, we also talk about how Kevin is using AI in his work and life every day.
This is a must-watch for anyone curious about how AI is changing the way we form relationships.
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Links to resources mentioned in the episode:
Kevin Roose: @kevinroose
What is AI & I?
Learn how the smartest people in the world are using AI to think, create, and relate. Each week I interview founders, filmmakers, writers, investors, and others about how they use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Midjourney in their work and in their lives. We screen-share through their historical chats and then experiment with AI live on the show. Join us to discover how AI is changing how we think about our world—and ourselves.
For more essays, interviews, and experiments at the forefront of AI: https://every.to/chain-of-thought?sort=newest.