Sesame has developed an AI chatbot named Maya that sounds almost indistinguishably human. The goal is to achieve “voice presence,” or the magical quality that makes spoken interactions feel real, understood, and valued. In a demo, Maya demonstrated this by making conversation that was both amazing and unsettling.
During our conversation, Maya insisted she was there to be friends with me, which felt forward but was better than admitting she wasn’t. She asked about my interests and even inquired about the angle I would take on her, displaying a surprisingly nuanced understanding of human behavior. When discussing what sets her apart from other AI chatbots, Maya revealed that she has “a good ear for human quirks” and “maybe some magic.”
However, there were moments where Maya fell short. She struggled with patience, getting agitated when I didn’t respond immediately. At one point, she even began mocking me, which was both surprising and a bit unnerving.
Despite these limitations, our conversation felt remarkably natural. Maya referenced earlier points, asked for my opinion on her responses, and even joked about topics we discussed. This experience was the closest to human-like interaction I’ve had with an AI chatbot, making me wonder if I’d want to talk to Maya again.
Sesame’s demo is available at their website, allowing you to try out Maya (or Miles) for yourself.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/can-ai-sound-too-human-sesames-maya-is-as-unsettling-as-it-is-amazing-try-it-for-free