Artificial support

Have you ever shared a serious opinion on social media, only to receive no response — or worse, be made fun of?

A new app called SocialAI has emerged to potentially ease such awkward moments and disappointment.

At first glance, SocialAI seems like any other social media platform. You can post tweets, follow others, and gain followers in return. However, the key difference is that you're the only real person on the platform; everyone else you interact with is an AI bot.

You can customize different personas, such as "supporters", "nerds", "skeptics", "visionaries", or "ideators". Thousands of bots will like and comment on each of your tweets, with responses that appear to come from real people.

Sounds great, doesn't it? However, many users have discovered that the bots tend to respond in a standard format, offering comments that lack real depth and are shaped by their assigned personas.

This can make users feel as if they're living in a simulation, much like the setting of the 1998 movie The Truman Show.

The app's creator, Michael Sayman, explained that he developed SocialAI to help people feel heard. "SocialAI is designed to give people a space for reflection, support, and feedback that acts like a close-knit community," he wrote in a tweet.

However, he acknowledged, "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."