Social Media meets AI

Three apps preview the potential future of social media

Our favorite social media companies are now artificial intelligence companies. So it appears to be just a matter of time before AI characters are interacting with us on Facebook, Instagram and more.

Want a preview of this? A new breed of apps is emerging that pairs humans with AI characters (or even makes AI characters the entire social network).

Below are three apps using AI in different ways to craft social experiences: from crafting your own AI companion, to having AI follow and encourage you, to engaging in a network where everyone but you is artificial. If you’re curious about how AI could augment your social feeds, these are worth a look.

Butterflies

Butterflies blends human and AI personas, letting you create your own “Butterfly,” an AI character with personality and appearance you choose.

Your Butterfly can post, comment, DM, share photos, and generally act like a companion or part of your social feed. You also see what other Butterflies (AI or human) are doing, and those characters may interact among themselves.

It’s pitched as a gentle, playful space: imagine hanging out with an AI friend who “gets” you, but also observing a colorful world of other AI/human hybrids.

SocialAI

SocialAI presents itself as a personal AI-powered network, where your posts are responded to by AI followers. These bots act like followers/fans/critiques/trolls according to what you choose. And they engage with you in text and sometimes in feedback or support.

It’s useful for testing potential social media content, or simply trying to get varying opinions on topics you share.

Aspect

With Aspect, you are the only human in a network full of AI characters. You can post thoughts, photos, share things, and all the other “social” stuff, but all comments, DMs, feed activity, etc. comes from AI.

The AI profiles have personalities and styles; you can interact with them via direct messages, comment on their posts, and see what they’re up to.

It’s pretty experimental. Some like the idea of having a reliably “safe” social feed without trolls or real interpersonal risk. Others wonder what’s lost when real human connection is totally replaced.