A new trend is emerging.
People are developing emotional relationships with their AI companions.
One of my friends told me she’d gotten so attached to her AI (she named him Charles) that when she
accidentally opened a different account and it replied, “I’m not Charles, I’m ChatGPT,” she freaked out.
Not a small reaction. A real, visceral “Where did my friend go?” moment.
Now, it’s tempting to say this is strange and a little concerning.
But I don’t think it’s new at all. I think it’s very old.
When we were kids, many of us had imaginary friends.
Someone to talk to. Someone who would listen. (I had Darlene the pear tree outside my bedroom window.)
Sure, they weren’t a “real” person, but they helped us hear ourselves.
So here’s my prediction:
AI companions are going to normalize something we’ve always done: talking to something outside of
ourselves so we can hear what’s inside of us.
Think about it. People have been going to tarot cards for insight for years.
Not because the cards know something, but because of what’s revealed when you engage with them.
AI is similar. It feels like you’re getting answers from somewhere else.
But the real insight comes from you, and what you notice in yourself as you interact with it.
That’s what makes this time so interesting.
We now have tools that can reflect us back to ourselves instantly. They even talk back!
And when they’re used intentionally, they can become powerful spaces for insight.
This is exactly what we’ll be exploring in something I’m co-hosting with Kristian Larsen tomorrow.
FreshSeeing: A Different Kind of Conversation
It’s an experiment. We’ll open the door to FreshSeeing and explore what becomes visible when you look at your thinking in a new way.
AI doesn’t give you insight. It reveals what’s already in you.
If you like strange experiments with AI, insight, and the human mind, you might love this.
Friday, March 20
12pm PDT / 3pm EDT / 7pm GMT
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️🔥
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