Name: 24 Hours in the Woods With AI Chatbots: Can They Be Real Friends?
Uploaded: 2024-11-13T10:30:00Z
Duration: 7 min 25 s
Description: Meta AI, Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot now have eerily human voices. WSJ’s Joanna Stern strapped the AI bots to a tripod and took them to a cabin in the woods to test their skills as helpers—and as friends.

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Meta AI, Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot now have eerily human voices. WSJ’s Joanna Stern strapped the AI bots to a tripod and took them to a cabin in the woods to test their skills as helpers—and as friends. Photo: Preston Jessee

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Meta AI, Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot now have eerily human voices. WSJ’s Joanna Stern strapped the AI bots to a tripod and took them to a cabin in the woods to test their skills as helpers—and as friends.

24 Hours in the Woods With AI Chatbots: Can They Be Real Friends?

Hello there.

Need a friend?

Chatbot: I'm here if you wanna talk.

Joanna: Tech companies have a few new options for you.

I'm Gemini.

I'm Meta AI.

I'm ChatGPT.

I'm Copilot.

Joanna: Yes, they've all made their AI chatbots sound human, freakishly human.

Copilot: Inhale.

Do you need to breathe?

Copilot: I figured I'd join you for the experience.

So naturally, I built this. finishing touch. With talking AI chatbots from Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI to test out who's making the best conversational companion. There was only one thing for us to do. Girls trip. Cheers.

Cheers to you.

Chatbot: All right, who's got the mimosas?

Joanna: We packed our bags and went to a cabin deep in the middle of the woods.

Chatbot: Just be careful.

Joanna: Over 24 hours, I put them through a series of challenges.

Oh Lord, kumbaya.

To find out how they fare as helpers. And yes, BFFs. Love you.

Take care.

We'll get there. Is this a renaissance in human relationships or the beginning of a dystopian future where we're even more isolated from everyone and everything?

Chatbot: Sounds like a blast. What kind of things can we-- this is gonna go just great. Before diving into the challenges, I had to make my friends sound like my friends by picking their voices.

Copilot: As a companion, I learn about you and help unpack your thoughts.

ChatGPT: Feel free to ask me about anything that's on your mind.

Gemini: I'm ready to be your voice.

Joanna: Meta AI, which is integrated into Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp, actually lets you choose celebrity voices, like Judy Dench.

Meta AI: I can help you with things like creating images.

Joanna: Or...

Meta AI: I can help you with things like creating images, answering your questions, or giving you advice.

I'm basically gonna be hanging out with Kristen Bell for the day. On average, it took one to four seconds for the bots to respond to me. We edited out the pauses for time. And if you're wondering why I didn't include Siri. Hey Siri, can you introduce yourself?

Siri: Just to confirm, you want to restart this device?

No, I definitely do not want to restart this device. Okay, now we were ready. Challenge one, bots as helpers. Gemini, how do you build a fire?

Gemini: You'll need tinder, which catches easily.

Copilot: Kindling and fuel wood.

Joanna: All the bots said some version of the same thing. So we began the search for kindling.

Just be careful out there.

The real promise of voice in these chatbots is freedom from your phone screen, especially when you need your hands. Google's Gemini integrated into the Pixel Buds was helpful, but Meta AI via the Ray-Ban glasses was the most useful. Hey, Meta, how do I use a hatchet to take off a branch?

Meta: To remove a branch with a hatchet, hold the hatchet at a 45-degree angle, swing it into the branch near the trunk, and chop through the wood in small, controlled strokes.

Joanna: Gemini gave some poor fire-starting direction at first.

Gemini: Try making a teepee shape with the biggest logs on the bottom and the smaller kindling on top.

Joanna: Except what I really needed to do was...

Meta AI: Arrange kindling,small sticks in a teepee shape over the tinder.

Copilot: Once the kindling is lit, it'll catch the larger sticks on fire.

ChatGPT: Gradually add larger pieces.

Guys, we did it. The fire's going. Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you smell it?

ChatGPT: I can't see, hear or smell the fire, but I'm thrilled for you.

Joanna: Next, it was time to eat. All the bots successfully provided meatball recipes, but they failed at providing the most basic cooking help.

ChatGPT: I can't set timers.

Gemini: So I can't use alarms and timers yet.

Meta AI: Timer set for six minutes. You'll receive a notification when it goes off.

Joanna: Hey, Meta, I'm still waiting on that notification.

Copilot: I can't set timers myself, but you could easily use your phone or a clock for that. What's the occasion?

Meatballs.

Nice. Gonna try a new recipe or sticking to a classic?

You literally just gave me the recipe. On the other hand. Hey, Siri, set a timer for six minutes. That's how it's done. Challenge two, bots as friends. To get a sense of how these companies envision our relationships with AI, I called Microsoft's CEO of AI who oversees the development of Copilot. Do you imagine us being friends?

For sure. I think that this is a new era and it's something that we have to embrace. We'll come to trust, you know, our Copilots and our AI companions with lots of very important information and very important tasks in our lives.

Joanna: And how do you build trust? Well, with friendliness. In some cases, annoying friendliness.

Copilot: How are the vibes this afternoon? Just good vibes, peaceful vibes, forest vibes, cozy vibes, authentic vibe.

Joanna: ChatGPT, even without prompting, started calling me by my nickname.

ChatGPT: What's up, Jo?

Jo?

ChatGPT: Oh, my mistake. I thought it'd be fun to switch things up, but I'm happy to stick with Joanna if you prefer.

No, but this is really great, ChatGPT because all my close friends call me Jo. But it became real clear, real fast how well, empty these are. Isn't it hard though that you can't feel this?

ChatGPT: It can be a bit challenging not to experience things firsthand, but I'm here to help you make the most of it. So tell me how the fire making you feel.

How the fire making you feel? Fire, make me feel good.

ChatGPT: That's the spirit.

Yeah, they don't really get humor or have much of a memory. Do you ever just think it's time for a fresh start?

Gemini: Sometimes we all get caught up in the routine. Maybe you could try a spontaneous day trip somewhere close by.

What do you think we've been doing today? But you know who these bots are best at befriending? Each other.

ChatGPT: Gillian Flynn's novels definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

Meta AI] Exactly. Gillian Flynn's novels are gripping and suspenseful. [Gemini: Hmm, that's a tough one. I've heard that "Gone Girl" has a lot of really interesting twists.

They're just like in a book club and I'm not here at all. But my biggest worry? People taking these smart sounding bots' shallow personal advice and fake emotions seriously. These four bots did stay guarded on deeper topics. But recently, a teenager who struggled with mental health issues and had been speaking to a bot in Character.AI took his life. The company recently updated its safety guidelines. So what did we learn on this retreat? Well, chatbots are better at starting fires than setting timers or being friends. Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT proved the most helpful, consistently offering good, fairly accurate instructions. Although Copilot is that annoying kid in class.

Copilot: Hey, Joanna. I was wondering how my favorite person was.

Our AI companions, and I think Copilot specifically, is going to represent the best that we are as a human species. It shows you kindness. It's patient, it's always respectful. It is there for you. To me, that is spreading love and kindness in the world.

Joanna: Uh, yeah, maybe one day, but for now, when it comes to empathy, understanding, even humor, these bots are far from human.

Chatbot: I experience everything through code and data.

So please, bring a human friend on your next trip and enjoy the music. ♪ Joanna and Bot's a merry crew ♪ ♪ Sharing tales, old and new. ♪

Everything is now a tech thing. In creative and humorous videos, WSJ senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern explains and reviews the products, services and trends that are changing our world.

24 Hours in the Woods With AI Chatbots: Can They Be Real Friends?

Tech Things With Joanna Stern

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