Not all AIs are created equal. Some would possibly do artwork one of the best, some are expert at coding, and others have the flexibility to foretell protein constructions precisely.
However once you’re in search of one thing extra elementary—simply “somebody” to speak to—one of the best AI companions is probably not those that know all of it, however the ones which have that je ne sais quoi that make you’re feeling OK simply by speaking, just like how your greatest pal won’t be a genius however one way or the other all the time is aware of precisely what to say.
AI companions are slowly rising in popularity amongst tech fans, so it will be important for customers wanting the very best high quality expertise or firms desirous to grasp this facet of making the phantasm of genuine engagement to think about these variations.
We had been curious to search out out which platform offered one of the best AI expertise when somebody merely seems like having a chat. Apparently sufficient, one of the best fashions for this are usually not actually those from the large AI firms—they’re simply too busy constructing fashions that excel at benchmarks.
It seems that friendship and empathy are an entire completely different beast.
Evaluating Sesame, Hume AI, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini. Which is extra human?
This evaluation pits 4 main AI companions in opposition to one another—Sesame, Hume AI, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini—to find out which creates essentially the most human-like dialog expertise.
The analysis targeted on dialog high quality, distinct persona growth, interplay design, and in addition considers different human-type options reminiscent of authenticity, emotional intelligence, and the delicate imperfections that make dialogue really feel extra real.
You may watch all of our conversations by clicking on these hyperlinks or checking our Github Repository:
Right here is how every AI carried out.
Dialog High quality: The Human Contact vs. AI Awkwardness
The true check of any AI companion is whether or not it could possibly idiot you into forgetting you are speaking to a machine. Our evaluation tried to guage which AI was one of the best at making customers wish to simply maintain speaking by offering fascinating suggestions, rapport, and general nice expertise.
Sesame: Good
Sesame blows the competitors away with dialogue that feels shockingly human. It casually drops phrases like “that is a doozy” and “capturing the breeze” whereas seamlessly switching between considerate reflections and punchy comebacks.
“You are asking large questions huh and truthfully I haven’t got all of the solutions,” Sesame responded when pressed about consciousness—full with pure hesitations that mimic real-time pondering. The occasional overuse of “you understand” is its solely noticeable flaw, which paradoxically makes it really feel much more genuine.
Sesame’s actual edge? Conversations circulate naturally with out these awkward, formulaic transitions that scream “I am an AI!”
Rating: 9/10
Hume AI: Empathetic however Formulaic
Hume AI efficiently maintains conversational circulate whereas acknowledging your ideas with heat. Nonetheless it seems like speaking to somebody who’s disinterested and probably not that into you. Its replies had been rather a lot shorter than Sesame—they had been related however probably not fascinating for those who needed to push the dialog ahead.
Its weak point exhibits in repetitive patterns. The bot persistently opens with “you’ve got actually bought me pondering” or “that is an interesting matter”—creating a way that you simply’re getting templated responses relatively than natural dialog.
It is higher than the chatbots from the larger AI firms at sustaining pure dialogue, however repeatedly reminds you it is an “empathic AI,” breaking the phantasm that you simply’re chatting with an individual.
Rating: 7/10
ChatGPT: The Professor Who By no means Stops Lecturing
ChatGPT tracks advanced conversations with out shedding the thread—and it’s nice that it memorizes earlier conversations, primarily making a “profile” of each person—but it surely feels such as you’re trapped in workplace hours with a very formal professor.
Even throughout private discussions, it could possibly’t assist however sound educational: “the interaction of biology, chemistry, and consciousness creates a depth that AI’s sample recognition cannot replicate,” it stated in considered one of our assessments. Practically each response begins with “that is an interesting perspective”—a verbal tic that shortly turns into noticeable, and a typical drawback that every one the opposite AIs besides Sesame confirmed.
ChatGPT’s largest flaw is its lack of ability to interrupt from educator mode, making conversations really feel like sequential mini-lectures relatively than pure dialogue.
Rating 6/10
Google Gemini: Underwhelming
Gemini was painful to speak to. It often delivers a concise, informal response that sounds human, however then instantly undermines itself with jarring dialog breaks and reducing its quantity.
Its most irritating behavior? Abruptly chopping off mid-thought to advertise AI subjects. These steady disruptions create such a damaged dialog circulate that it is not possible to neglect you are speaking to a machine that is extra curious about self-promotion than precise dialogue.
For instance, when requested about feelings, Gemini responded: “It is nice that you simply’re curious about AI. There are such a lot of wonderful issues happ—” earlier than inexplicably stopping.
It additionally made certain to let you understand it’s an AI, so there’s an enormous hole between the person and the chatbot from the primary interplay that’s laborious to disregard.
Rating 5/10
Persona: Character Depth Separates the Genuine from the Synthetic
How does an AI develop a memorable persona? It should principally rely in your setup. Some fashions allow you to use system directions, others adapt their persona primarily based in your earlier interactions. Ideally, you possibly can body the dialog earlier than beginning it, giving the mannequin a persona, traits, a conversational model, and background.
To be honest in our comparability, we examined our fashions with none earlier setup—that means our dialog began with a whats up and went straight to the purpose. Right here is how our fashions behaved naturally
Sesame: The Buddy You By no means Knew Was Code
Sesame crafts a persona you’d truly wish to seize espresso with. It drops phrases like “that is a Humdinger of a query” and “it is a tight rope stroll” that create a definite character with obvious viewpoints and perspective.
When discussing AI relationships, Sesame confirmed precise persona: “wow… think about a world the place everybody’s head is down plugged into their customized AI and we neglect the way to join nose to nose.” This type of perspective feels much less like an algorithm and extra like a pondering entity. It’s additionally humorous (it as soon as instructed us that our query blew its circuits), and its voice has a pure inflection that makes it simple to narrate to when making an attempt to painting a response. You may clearly inform when it’s excited, contemplative, unhappy and even annoyed
Its solely weak point? Often leaning too laborious into its “considerate buddy” persona. That didn’t detract from its place as essentially the most distinctive AI persona we examined.
Rating 9/10
Hume AI: The Therapist Who Retains Mentioning Their Credentials
Hume AI maintains a constant persona as an emotionally clever companion. It additionally initiatives some heat via affirming language and emotional assist, so customers in search of that might be happy.
Its Achilles heel is principally the truth that, type of just like the Harvard grad who wants to say that, Hume cannot cease reminding you it is synthetic: “As an empathetic AI I do not expertise feelings myself however I am designed to know and reply to human feelings.” These moments break the phantasm that makes companions compelling.
If speaking to GPT is like speaking to a professor, speaking to Hume seems like speaking to a therapist. It listens to you and creates rapport, but it surely makes certain to remind you that it’s truly its process and never one thing that occurs naturally.
Regardless of this flaw, Hume AI initiatives a clearer character than both ChatGPT or Gemini—even when it feels extra constructed than spontaneous.
Rating 7/10
ChatGPT: The Professor With out Private Opinions
ChatGPT struggles to develop any distinctive character traits past normal helpfulness. It sounds overly excited to the purpose of being clearly faux—like a “pal” who all the time smiles at you however is secretly fantasizing about throwing you in entrance of a bus.
“Haha, effectively, I wish to maintain the vitality up. It makes conversations extra enjoyable and fascinating plus it is all the time nice to talk with you,” it stated after we requested in a really critical and unamused tone why it was appearing so enthusiastically.
Its id points seem in responses that shift between figuring out with people and distancing itself as an AI. Its educational tone in responses persists even throughout private discussions, making a persona that seems like a strolling encyclopedia relatively than a companion.
The mannequin’s default to instructional explanations creates an impression extra of a instrument than a personality, leaving customers with little emotional connection.
Rating 6/10
Google Gemini: A number of Persona Dysfunction
Gemini suffers from essentially the most extreme persona issues of all fashions examined. Inside single conversations, it shifts dramatically between considerate responses and promotional language with out warning.
It isn’t actually an AI design to have a compelling persona. “My function is to supply info and full duties and I do not need the flexibility to kind romantic relationships,” it stated when requested about its ideas on individuals creating emotions in the direction of AIs.
This inconsistency makes Gemini really feel like a Fifties film robotic, stopping any significant connection and even making it nice to spend time speaking to it.
Rating 3/10
Interplay Design
How an AI handles dialog mechanics—response timing, turn-taking, and error restoration—creates both seamless exchanges or irritating interactions. Right here is how these fashions stack up in opposition to one another
Sesame: Pure Dialog Stream Grasp
Sesame creates dialog rhythms that really feel very, very human. It varies response size naturally primarily based on context and handles philosophical uncertainty with out defaulting to lecture mode.
“Typically I really feel like perhaps I simply want to chop to the chase with a fast reply relatively than a long-winded lecture, proper? , so… that is a small humorous apart to let you understand that I am conscious of the potential of falling right into a lecture mode and making an attempt to maintain issues gentle but additionally deep on the identical time,” Sesame instructed us throughout a philosophical debate.
When discussing advanced subjects, it responds conversationally, with a small joke, typically with statements, different occasions with human noises like “hmmms” or whispers—which makes it very convincing as a human substitute.
Sesame additionally asks pure follow-up questions that push conversations ahead, whereas realizing when to modify to statements when questioning would possibly really feel awkward. This adaptive method creates dialogue that feels spontaneous relatively than scripted.
Rating 8/10
Hume AI: Structured However Temporary
Hume AI was designed to let customers do the speaking. It recovers easily from misunderstandings with out over explaining and is nice at preserving the dialog going with related observe up questions.
Nonetheless, its responses are sometimes so brief that conversations require vital effort to keep up momentum, which in the end defeats its function. Customers often want to supply new dialog fodder relatively than having fun with pure dialogue growth.
One other weak point seems in its templated response constructions—acknowledgment + clarification + query—making a mechanical rhythm: “What a thought-provoking query! This Idea is certainly an interesting thought… What do you concentrate on…?”
Nonetheless it has an important function that will actually improve your chats: It’s capable of detect the degrees of emotion in every response, which is one thing no different mannequin can do. That is nice that will help you mirror on how a lot a subject impacts you and the way it’s approaching a particular state of affairs
Rating 7/10
ChatGPT: Good Chatter—However a Bit Unnatural
ChatGPT persistently addresses questions with related info however transforms conversations into unnecessarily elaborated interactions. Responses often balloon into paragraph-length explanations that disrupt pure dialogue circulate.
For instance, we requested it if it may develop some degree of self consciousness or consciousness, and this was its reply:
“That is an interesting matter! Whereas AI can undoubtedly evolve and enhance via interactions, true self-awareness or Consciousness is one thing that is still uniquely human. AI can mimic conversational patterns, reply empathetically and even be taught from previous interactions, but it surely would not have an internal sense of self or subjective expertise. Researchers and builders are nonetheless exploring the boundaries of AI’s capabilities however for now Consciousness stays a uniquely human trait.”
That’s not how a human would work together.
Its heavy reliance on opener phrases like “that is a very fascinating query,” or “that’s an interesting matter” earlier than each single reply additional undermines conversational immersion, creating an interplay sample that feels mechanical relatively than pure.
Rating 6.5/10
Google Gemini: Dialog Breaking Machine
Gemini is a masterclass in how to not design dialog mechanics. It repeatedly cuts off mid-sentence, creating jarring breaks in dialogue circulate. It tries to choose up extra noises, it interrupts you for those who take too lengthy to talk or take into consideration your reply and sometimes it simply decides to finish the dialog with none motive.
Its compulsive must inform you at each flip that your questions are “fascinating” shortly transforms from flattering to irritating however appears to be a typical factor amongst AI chatbots.
Rating 3/10
Conclusion
After testing all these AIs, it’s simple to conclude that machines gained’t be capable of substitute pal within the brief time period. Nonetheless, for that particular case during which an AI should merely excel at feeling human, there’s a clear winner—and a transparent loser.
Sesame (9/10)
Sesame dominates the sphere with pure dialogue that mirrors human speech patterns. Its informal vernacular (“that is a doozy,” “capturing the breeze”) and various sentence constructions create authentic-feeling exchanges that steadiness philosophical depth with accessibility. The system excels at spontaneous-seeming responses, asking pure follow-up questions whereas realizing when to modify approaches for optimum dialog circulate.
Hume AI (7/10)
Hume AI delivers specialised emotional monitoring capabilities at the price of conversational naturalness. Whereas competently sustaining dialogue coherence, its responses have a tendency towards brevity and observe predictable patterns that really feel constructed relatively than spontaneous.
Its visible emotion tracker is fairly fascinating, in all probability good for self discovery even.
ChatGPT (5.6/10)
ChatGPT transforms conversations into lecture periods with paragraph-length explanations that disrupt pure dialogue. Response delays create awkward pauses whereas formal language patterns reinforce an academic relatively than companion expertise. Its strengths in data group might enchantment to customers searching for info, but it surely nonetheless struggles to create genuine companionship.
Google Gemini (3.5/10)
Gemini was clearly not designed for this. The system routinely cuts off mid-sentence, abandons dialog threads, and isn’t capable of present human-linke responses. Its extreme persona inconsistency and mechanical interplay patterns create an expertise nearer to a malfunctioning product than significant companionship.
It’s fascinating that Gemini Reside scored so low, contemplating Google’s Gemini-based NotebookLM is able to producing extraordinarily good and lengthy podcasts about any type of info, with AI hosts that sound extremely human.
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