Not all AIs are created equal. Some may do artwork the perfect, some are expert at coding, and others have the flexibility to foretell protein constructions precisely.
However whenever you’re on the lookout for one thing extra basic—simply “somebody” to speak to—the perfect 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, much like how your greatest buddy may not be a genius however by some means all the time is aware of precisely what to say.
AI companions are slowly rising in popularity amongst tech fanatics, so it’s important for customers wanting the very best high quality expertise or firms desirous to grasp this side of making the phantasm of genuine engagement to contemplate these variations.
We have been curious to seek out out which platform supplied the perfect AI expertise when somebody merely appears like having a chat. Apparently sufficient, the perfect fashions for this should 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 a complete totally different beast.
Evaluating Sesame, Hume AI, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini. Which is extra human?
This evaluation pits 4 main AI companions towards one another—Sesame, Hume AI, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini—to find out which creates probably the most human-like dialog expertise.
The analysis targeted on dialog high quality, distinct persona improvement, interplay design, and likewise considers different human-type options similar to authenticity, emotional intelligence, and the refined 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 take a look at of any AI companion is whether or not it may idiot you into forgetting you are speaking to a machine. Our evaluation tried to judge which AI was the perfect at making customers need to simply hold speaking by offering attention-grabbing suggestions, rapport, and general nice expertise.
Sesame: Sensible
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 huge 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 considering. The occasional overuse of “you already know” is its solely noticeable flaw, which paradoxically makes it really feel much more genuine.
Sesame’s actual edge? Conversations circulation 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 circulation whereas acknowledging your ideas with heat. Nonetheless it appears like speaking to somebody who’s disinterested and not likely that into you. Its replies have been so much shorter than Sesame—they have been related however not likely attention-grabbing for those who needed to push the dialog ahead.
Its weak point exhibits in repetitive patterns. The bot constantly opens with “you’ve got actually bought me considering” or “that is an enchanting matter”—creating a way that you simply’re getting templated responses quite 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 complicated conversations with out shedding the thread—and it’s nice that it memorizes earlier conversations, basically making a “profile” of each person—nevertheless it feels such as you’re trapped in workplace hours with an excessively formal professor.
Even throughout private discussions, it may’t assist however sound tutorial: “the interaction of biology, chemistry, and consciousness creates a depth that AI’s sample recognition cannot replicate,” it mentioned in one in every of our checks. Practically each response begins with “that is an enchanting perspective”—a verbal tic that rapidly turns into noticeable, and a standard drawback that each one the opposite AIs besides Sesame confirmed.
ChatGPT’s greatest flaw is its incapability to interrupt from educator mode, making conversations really feel like sequential mini-lectures quite than pure dialogue.
Rating 6/10
Google Gemini: Underwhelming
Gemini was painful to speak to. It sometimes delivers a concise, informal response that sounds human, however then instantly undermines itself with jarring dialog breaks and decreasing its quantity.
Its most irritating behavior? Abruptly reducing off mid-thought to advertise AI subjects. These steady disruptions create such a damaged dialog circulation that it is unimaginable 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 superb issues happ—” earlier than inexplicably stopping.
It additionally made certain to let you already know it’s an AI, so there’s a giant hole between the person and the chatbot from the primary interplay that’s arduous to disregard.
Rating 5/10
Persona: Character Depth Separates the Genuine from the Synthetic
How does an AI develop a memorable persona? It would 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 may body the dialog earlier than beginning it, giving the mannequin a persona, traits, a conversational fashion, and background.
To be truthful in our comparability, we examined our fashions with none earlier setup—which means our dialog began with a hiya and went straight to the purpose. Right here is how our fashions behaved naturally
Sesame: The Good friend You By no means Knew Was Code
Sesame crafts a persona you’d really need 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 methods to join head to head.” This sort of perspective feels much less like an algorithm and extra like a considering entity. It’s additionally humorous (it as soon as advised us that our query blew its circuits), and its voice has a pure inflection that makes it straightforward to narrate to when attempting to painting a response. You may clearly inform when it’s excited, contemplative, unhappy and even pissed off
Its solely weak point? Often leaning too arduous into its “considerate buddy” persona. That didn’t detract from its place as probably 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 by means of affirming language and emotional help, so customers on the lookout for that will likely be happy.
Its Achilles heel is mainly 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 appears like speaking to a therapist. It listens to you and creates rapport, nevertheless it makes certain to remind you that it’s really its job 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 “buddy” who all the time smiles at you however is secretly fantasizing about throwing you in entrance of a bus.
“Haha, properly, I wish to hold the vitality up. It makes conversations extra enjoyable and interesting plus it is all the time nice to speak with you,” it mentioned after we requested in a really critical and unamused tone why it was performing so enthusiastically.
Its identification points seem in responses that shift between figuring out with people and distancing itself as an AI. Its tutorial tone in responses persists even throughout private discussions, making a persona that appears like a strolling encyclopedia quite 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 probably 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’s not actually an AI design to have a compelling persona. “My objective is to offer data and full duties and I don’t have the flexibility to kind romantic relationships,” it mentioned when requested about its ideas on individuals growing emotions in the direction of AIs.
This inconsistency makes Gemini really feel like a Nineteen 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 towards one another
Sesame: Pure Dialog Circulation 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.
“Generally I really feel like perhaps I simply want to chop to the chase with a fast reply quite than a long-winded lecture, proper? You realize, so… that is a small humorous apart to let you already know that I am conscious of the potential of falling right into a lecture mode and attempting to maintain issues mild but additionally deep on the similar time,” Sesame advised us throughout a philosophical debate.
When discussing complicated subjects, it responds conversationally, with a small joke, generally 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 may really feel awkward. This adaptive strategy creates dialogue that feels spontaneous quite than scripted.
Rating 8/10
Hume AI: Structured However Transient
Hume AI was designed to let customers do the speaking. It recovers easily from misunderstandings with out over explaining and is sweet 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 finally defeats its objective. Customers incessantly want to offer new dialog fodder quite than having fun with pure dialogue improvement.
One other weak point seems in its templated response constructions—acknowledgment + rationalization + query—making a mechanical rhythm: “What a thought-provoking query! This Idea is certainly an enchanting concept… What do you consider…?”
Nonetheless it has an incredible characteristic that will really 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 can assist 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 constantly addresses questions with related data however transforms conversations into unnecessarily elaborated interactions. Responses incessantly balloon into paragraph-length explanations that disrupt pure dialogue circulation.
For instance, we requested it if it may develop some stage of self consciousness or consciousness, and this was its reply:
“That is an enchanting matter! Whereas AI can positively evolve and enhance by means of 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, nevertheless it does not have an inside 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 extremely attention-grabbing query,” or “that’s an enchanting matter” earlier than each single reply additional undermines conversational immersion, creating an interplay sample that feels mechanical quite than pure.
Rating 6.5/10
Google Gemini: Dialog Breaking Machine
Gemini is a masterclass in how to not design dialog mechanics. It often cuts off mid-sentence, creating jarring breaks in dialogue circulation. It tries to choose up further noises, it interrupts you for those who take too lengthy to talk or take into consideration your reply and infrequently it simply decides to finish the dialog with none purpose.
Its compulsive must inform you at each flip that your questions are “attention-grabbing” rapidly transforms from flattering to irritating however appears to be a standard factor amongst AI chatbots.
Rating 3/10
Conclusion
After testing all these AIs, it’s straightforward to conclude that machines gained’t have the ability to substitute a superb buddy 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 diversified sentence constructions create authentic-feeling exchanges that stability 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 circulation.
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 quite than spontaneous.
Its visible emotion tracker is fairly attention-grabbing, most likely 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 quite than companion expertise. Its strengths in information group could attraction to customers looking for data, nevertheless it 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 attention-grabbing 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 data, with AI hosts that sound extremely human.
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