SocialAI: The New App Blurring Lines Between Human and AI Interactions

"Dead Internet theory" comes to life with new AI-powered social media app

SocialAI app takes the social media "filter bubble" to an extreme with 100% fake interactions. For the past few years, a conspiracy theory called "Dead Internet theory" has picked up speed as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT increasingly generate text and even social media interactions found online. The theory says that most social Internet activity today is artificial and designed to manipulate humans for engagement. Further Reading On Monday, software developer Michael Sayman launched a new AI-populated social network app called SocialAI that feels like it's bringing that conspiracy theory to life, allowing users to interact solely with AI chatbots instead of other humans. It's available on the iPhone app store, but so far, it's picking up pointed criticism. After its creator announced SocialAI as "a private social network where you receive millions of AI-generated comments offering feedback, advice & reflections on each post you make," computer security specialist Ian Coldwater quipped on X, "This sounds like actual hell." Software developer and frequent AI pundit Colin Fraser expressed a similar sentiment: "I don't mean this like in a mean way or as a dunk or whatever but this actually sounds like Hell. Like capital H Hell." SocialAI's 28-year-old creator, Michael Sayman, previously served as a product lead at Google, and he also bounced between Facebook, Roblox, and Twitter over the years. In an announcement post on X, Sayman wrote about how he had dreamed of creating the service for years, but the tech was not yet ready. He sees it as a tool that can help lonely or rejected people. "SocialAI is designed to help people feel heard, and to give them a space for reflection, support, and feedback that acts like a close-knit community," wrote Sayman. "It's a response to all those times I've felt isolated, or like I needed a sounding board but didn't have one. I know this app won't solve all of life's problems, but I hope it can be a small tool for others to reflect, to grow, and to feel seen." As The Verge reports in an excellent rundown of the example interactions, SocialAI lets users choose the types of AI followers they want, including categories like "supporters," "nerds," and "skeptics." These AI chatbots then respond to user posts with brief comments and reactions on almost any topic, including nonsensical "Lorem ipsum" text. Sometimes the bots can be too helpful. On Bluesky, one user asked for instructions on how to make nitroglycerin out of common household chemicals and received several enthusiastic responses from bots detailing the steps, although several bots provided different recipes, none of which may be wholly accurate. SocialAI's bots have limitations, unsurprisingly. Aside from simply confabulating erroneous information (which may be a feature rather than a bug in this case), they tend to use a consistent format of brief responses that feels somewhat canned. Their simulated emotional range is limited, too. Attempts to eke out strongly negative reactions from the AI are typically unsuccessful, with the bots avoiding personal attacks even when users maximize settings for trolling and sarcasm.

I Stared Into the AI Void With the SocialAI App

SocialAI is an online universe where everyone you interact with is a bot -- for better or worse. The first time I used SocialAI, I was sure the app was performance art. That was the only logical explanation for why I would willingly sign up to have AI bots named Blaze Fury and Trollington Nefarious, well, troll me. Even the app's creator, Michael Sayman, admits that the premise of SocialAI may confuse people. His announcement this week of the app read a little like a generative AI joke: "A private social network where you receive millions of AI-generated comments offering feedback, advice, and reflections." But, no, SocialAI is real, if "real" applies to an online universe in which every single person 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 like you would on Twitter or Threads. An ellipsis appears almost as soon as you do so, indicating that another person is loading up with ammunition, getting ready to fire back. Then, instantaneously, several comments appear, cascading below your post, each and every one of them written by an AI character. In the new new version of the app, just rolled out today, these AIs also talk to each other. When you first sign up, you're prompted to choose these AI character archetypes: Do you want to hear from Fans? Trolls? Skeptics? Odd-balls? Doomers? Visionaries? Nerds? Drama Queens? Liberals? Conservatives? Welcome to SocialAI, where Trollita Kafka, Vera D. Nothing, Sunshine Sparkle, Progressive Parker, Derek Dissent, and Professor Debaterson are here to prop you up or tell you why you're wrong. Is SocialAI appalling, an echo chamber taken to its logical extreme? Only if you ignore the truth of modern social media: Our feeds are already filled with bots, tuned by algorithms, and monetized with AI-driven ad systems. As real humans we do the feeding: freely supplying social apps fresh content, baiting trolls, buying stuff. In exchange, we're amused, and occasionally feel a connection with friends and fans.

SocialAI offers a Twitter-like diary where AI bots respond to your posts

Can AI help you to break your social media addiction? That's one of the questions raised by an odd new app SocialAI, which offers its users a private social network where they can post their thoughts and receive AI-generated comments and feedback in return. Developer Michael Sayman describes the app as something more akin to a private diary, but one that comes in the format of a social network. "It's a weird app," Sayman admits. "But these are weird times." SocialAI looks and feels a lot like Twitter, now called X, as it offers a way to create short posts that appear in a timeline-like view. It even has the same reply, repost, and favorite buttons as on X, which appear beneath every post you make. But what makes SocialAI different is that none of the people interacting with you are real, they're AI bots. (Actually, it may not be that different from X now that we think about it...) Explains Sayman, after users post to SocialAI, they receive AI-generated comments in the form of feedback, advice, and reflections. "Essentially, everyone gets to be the Elon Musk of their own social media app," he notes, a reference to X's owner and the flood of replies every post of his receives. When setting up SocialAI, users can choose what kind of followers they want ranging from those who will offer positive vibes, like supporters, fans, and counselors, to those more in the middle, like debaters or realists, and even those who are not as kind, like trolls and critics. The diversity of AI bots to choose from means you can make SocialAI feel somewhat like a real social network, or you can configure it to create whatever sort of experience you need -- whether that's uplifting support or someone to pick apart your ideas so you can get a sense of their downsides. The network itself is completely private -- you don't follow any other "real" users nor do they follow you. But shortly after posting, you'll receive a number of replies from the bots, offering feedback in whatever form you said you preferred. As you continue to scroll down, more replies are generated. In our experience, the replies don't fully pass for those written by humans, as the supportive posts can be overly nice and often include several exclamation points. The trolling responses, meanwhile, seem almost like a parody of online criticism, though they stop short of the name-calling and other low blows you may face on X. The responses themselves are generated by a custom mix of common AI models, the founder says. Sayman claims he designed the app to help people "feel heard, to give them a space for reflection, support, and feedback" in a space that acts like "a close-knit community." The idea, he adds, was inspired by his own need to have a sounding board of sorts when he was feeling isolated and had no one to turn to. "I know the app won't solve problems for everyone, but I believe strongly that many people like me will use this to reflect [and] to grow," Sayman explains. In practice, the app feels more like a showcase for AI technology, and how it's capable of mimicking how people speak and write, rather than something users would turn to regularly. (But it could at least be a safe place to post all those Twitter/X drafts you never had the courage to share!) SocialAI is the third app to emerge from his startup Friendly Apps, which has experimented with AI through an AI music streaming charts site, AI Hits, and in online dating, with Cosmic, which matches users with AI personality quizzes. The startup is backed by $3 million in seed funding which Sayman raised pre-product, thanks to Sayman's reputation as a young developer who landed a role at Facebook at age 17 and later worked at Google, Roblox, and Twitter. He also authored a book about his experience, "App Kid." Sayman says he doesn't intend to raise additional funds until he finds product-market fit. For now, SocialAI is a free download without in-app purchases.

SocialAI offers a Twitter-like diary where AI bots respond to your private posts | TechCrunch

Are we at peak social media yet? It's an interesting question to ponder after the launch of an iOS app offering a social media experience just for one (i.e. you). At a glance, SocialAI -- which is billed as a pure "AI Social Network" -- looks like Twitter but there's one very big twist on traditionally microblogging: There are no other human users at all here. SocialAI lets you share your thoughts with an infinite supply of ever-available AI-powered bots that can endlessly chat back. Think about it: No remark you post to SocialAI will ever be greeted with silence nor fail to engage en masse. You simply can't get ghosted. Because the app's faux users exist to hang on your every word -- leveraging programmed enthusiasm to chip canned commentary into your replies (even the sarcastic, snarky and pessimistic bots can't resist joining these continuous scroll comment pile ons). And the best thing is you can be rest assured there are no actual humans to harsh your vibe. We've seen human/AI social networking blends before -- but this is a pure bot network (minus you). As the sole human in the chatroom, you are -- by default -- "the main character" in your own private online drama, each and every day you choose to log on. While a bot-filled universe may sound like a fairly accurate description of Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) these days, the big difference is that on SocialAI you can be 100% sure it's 100% bots, 100% of the time. Because literally everything else is bot. SocialAI is radically transparent that every user you encounter is code. It also pledges that all your faux social encounters are totally private. So while the interface apes the look of classic social media apps this is really something else entirely: A social space with zero prying eyes and a bunch of AIs to help you explore your curiosity. Founder Michael Sayman, a New York-based, 28 year old developer who spent a chunk of his teens working for Facebook coding Snap-style features, calls the app's vibe "liberating". His company, Friendly Apps, raised a $3M seed round back in May 2022 before it had built any product. Discussing the response to the app's launch late Monday he expresses surprise and delight that the MVP has triggered such an early buzz. "It's been crazy," he tells TechCrunch. "It's funny because I spent so much time thinking about like, okay, what should the invite flow look like? How should I, you know, try to help people -- because I'd seen other social apps and they put such an emphasis on how to get people to share it with others... And then I just told myself I need to get this out the door. "It's a testament, I think, to the potential that it might have. So I'm just, I'm overwhelmed." Sayman says he's been toying with the idea for SocialAI for years -- wanting to build a safe space for people to share thoughts and get private feedback. But it was only more recently that AI technology, and specifically the large language models underpinning the boom in generative AI, caught up with his vision for a "private social network" where the user can bounce ideas off a diverse community of AIs. "I saw these journaling apps and diary apps out there, but they all felt so empty," he explains. "When people used them it just didn't work any different than a notes app -- and there was something about that that felt, you know, weird -- and so, in that regard, I really thought there was potential in making something that just felt like a magical diary." SocialAI will feel instantly familiar to anyone who's every used Twitter (or any of its clones). But scratch the surface and you'll quickly see the facade of traditional social media drop away. Sure, just like any social app you can post comments, replies and like others' comments but every interaction the app serves you has been artificially generated. The most obvious point of difference vs traditional social apps is SocialAI users need to choose the categories of their "followers" -- by picking from a long list of bot "types". Such as "odd-balls", "nerds" "intellectuals" and "trolls", or "Liberals", "Conservatives" and "Jokesters", and many more besides. You must select a minimum of three types of followers to populate your network -- but there's no upper bound; you can opt in to every single type offered (a full 32 at launch) if you want to really mix things up. (Or, well, as much as a feed of AI-generated content can truly range off pre-programmed rails.) Or you can opt to keep things cleaner and leaner with just a handful of types. The types you pick will determine the flavor of the AI-generated chatter coming back at you. But Sayman also says the app is also designed to learn and adapt to its user over time, based on the sorts of followers and content you're engaging with. Want cheerleaders and lovers to cling to your thoughts? Select "supporters", "fans", "cheerleaders" and "charmers" and expect your banalest remarks to be overwhelmed with bottomless sycophancy. ("You look incredible!" "Oh darling, you look absolutely enchanting!" "Yasss, you look amazing!" etcetera, ad nauseam.) For a little more spice with your artificial engagement, why not opt for a blend of "trolls", "critics", "sarcastic people" and "brutally honest" types? ("Wow, groundbreaking." "Really? So basic!" "Please, don't even get me started...") Or to fish for more constructive advice, maybe "problem-solvers", "ideators" and "teachers" will do the trick? Just remember: You're the only brain in control here. Everything else is programming. And if you don't like the cut of certain bots' jib just edit your types selection and try again. The bots' output absolutely tends towards full-blown cliché, as their types labels suggest. So the app experience can feel a bit like being waterboarded with motivational platitudes (i.e. if you've picked overly positive accounts); or a bottomless abyss of sealioning (if you've over-indexed on "contrarian" types). But, well, you do get what you ask for. And if you pick a mix of types you may be surprised to find some responses can stand out amid the more obviously artificial chatter. You may also find yourself wondering how many hours of your life you've already spent arguing with bots on traditional social media. On SocialAI, bot accounts are named true to type -- hence you can chatter with "Rita Realist" if you want some home truths; or engage "Tina Troubleshooter" for tips on fixing stuff; or talk to "Connie Patriot" for the hot conservative take on of the day. ("How about a patriotic themed BBQ event to unite folks? Let's celebrate American values and serve some good old hamburgers with apple pie!") Nominative determinism sure makes a refreshing change from trying to spot bots on X/Twitter based on the quantity of numerals included in their account names. Overall, despite the range of AI types on tap, SocialAI feels like a net affirmative experience. Even if you pick "trolls" and "haters", these negative bots are -- frankly -- pretty polite by online standards. Definitely don't expect vicious insults on demand. About the spiciest things got was when we managed to get one account to regurgitate a line at me that "fake people are the worst". (Ho-ho.) Sayman says the idea for SocialAI clicked for him when he thought about how generative AI interfaces are going to need to evolve in order for users to benefit from more diverse responses. "When ChatGPT came out and I saw the chat interface, I thought to myself, well, this is cool, but surely we're not going to stick to the chat interface for everything, right? And we're here now, what, two years, three years later, every single AI app is just a chat interface. And I find it just really perplexing," he says. "So I thought to myself, how do we help people interact with a lot of different AI models -- because ideally I think people want to be able to compare answers. Especially in a world where these language models give you random answers every time you ask them a question. It's not like they give you the same answer." "We don't have to reinvent the wheel," he adds. "We already have social media products that people use, that are somewhat intuitive for interacting with large numbers of people and users. So let's build that. But let's build the thing that ChatGPT should be." Sayman also claims he designed the app to help people "feel heard, to give them a space for reflection, support, and feedback" in a space that acts like "a close-knit community." The idea, he says, was inspired by his own need to have a sounding board of sorts when he was feeling isolated and had no one to turn to. "I know the app won't solve problems for everyone, but I believe strongly that many people like me will use this to reflect [and] to grow," Sayman explains. In practice, the app feels more like a showcase for AI technology, and how it's capable of mimicking how people speak and write, rather than something users would turn to regularly. (But it could at least be a safe place to post all those Twitter/X drafts you never had the courage to share!) SocialAI is the third app to emerge from Sayman's startup Friendly Apps, which has experimented with AI through an AI music streaming charts site, AI Hits, and in online dating, with Cosmic, which matches users with AI personality quizzes. For now, SocialAI is a free download without in-app purchases. Sayman says he doesn't intend to raise additional funds until he finds product-market fit.