I Stare Into the AI Void with the SocialAI App
The first time I used SocialAI, I was sure the app was performance art. That was the only reasonable explanation for why I was willing to sign up to have AI bots named Blaze Fury and Trollington Nefarious, um, troll me.
Even the app’s creator, Michael Sayman, admits that SocialAI’s premise can be confusing. His announcement of the app this week sounded a bit like an AI-generated joke: “A private social network where you get millions of AI-generated comments, providing feedback, advice, and reflection.”
But no, SocialAI is real, if “real” is applied to an online universe where everyone you interact with is a bot.
There’s only one real human in the SocialAI equation. That person is you. The new iOS app is designed to let you post text just like you would on Twitter or Threads. An ellipsis appears almost as soon as you do, indicating that another person is reloading, ready to fire back. Then, immediately, a series of comments appear, cascading below your post, each written by an AI character. In the new app new In the new version of the app released today, these AIs can also communicate with each other.
When you first register, you will be prompted select These AI character archetypes: Do you want to hear from Fans? Trolls? Skeptics? Geeks? Pessimists? Visionaries? Nerds? Drama Queens? Libertarians? Conservatives? Welcome to SocialAI, where Trollita Kafka, Vera D. Nothing, Sunshine Sparkle, Progressive Parker, Derek Dissent, and Professor Debaterson are here to support you or tell you why you’re wrong.
Is SocialAI scary, an echo chamber taken to its logical extreme? Only if you ignore the reality of modern social media: Our feeds are already filled with bots, regulated by algorithms, and monetized by AI-driven advertising systems. As actual humans, we do the giving: we feed social apps new content for free, we bait trolls, we buy stuff. In return, we enjoy and sometimes feel connected to our friends and fans.
