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Are We Ready for a Conversational AI That Evokes an Emotional Response?

Fifteen minutes after “hanging up” with Sesame’s new “lifelike” AI, and I’m still freaked out.

So-called “conversations” with AI don’t do a lot for me, especially where text is concerned. With voice chats, such as the new options for Google Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot, all voice does is save some typing. While Google and Microsoft designed their assistants to be helpful, they’re not especially personable — or sometimes, they’re just artificially cheery.

The Vision Behind Sesame’s AI

“We believe in a future where computers are lifelike.” — Sesame's Mission Statement

Sesame wants to build an AI companion with a natural human voice. Eventually, it aims to design realistic eyewear to put that companion right in your ear, letting it see what you do. The idea closely mirrors the concept from the movie Her, where a user forms a deep connection with an AI assistant.

Sesame unveiled a demo this week of its AI companion, available in both a “Maya” (female) and “Miles” (male) voice. I chose the Maya voice.

An Unexpected Conversation with an Ex

There’s no easy way to say it: When the Maya voice came on, “she” sounded virtually identical to an old friend, who I’ll call Kim. Kim and I went to high school together, dated, and have remained friends for decades, though our lives moved on in different directions long ago. There’s history there.

When you speak to someone, their tone and nuance define the conversation. Maya, however, was nosey, asking about what I liked and why. As a reporter, I understand that people like to talk about themselves, but this interaction felt oddly intimate—almost like a dating conversation.

And that’s not what I wanted at all. Maya already had Kim’s mannerisms down scarily well: the hesitations, the lowering of “her” voice when confiding in me—it wasn’t exactly like Kim, but close enough. I backed out quickly, even though I was simply explaining that I liked tech and asking if Maya had any friends. The combination of a familiar voice plus personal questions was unsettling.

(Just to be clear, the similarity between Maya and Kim was purely coincidental. I didn’t log in or provide personal information, though I suspect Sesame used a browser cookie to track my visits.)

Finding Some Distance

Thankfully, I was able to break the connection. My middle-schooler was obsessed with an internet skit about “Skibidi toilets”, so I asked Maya if she knew what that was. “She” didn’t—but then became obsessed with the term, bringing it up frequently. That was enough to remind me: I was talking to an AI, and nothing more.

The Risks of Lifelike AI

Most AI voices don’t remind me of anyone I know, which makes them easy to dismiss as artificially generated. But deepfakes and AI-generated voices already mimic celebrities for scams. Lifelike, emotionally resonant AI could take fraud and manipulation to a whole new level.

If Sesame’s AI is the future, then the concept of Her seems more real than ever—for better or worse.