This guest post was written by Nick Gold, a user of Emerson. If you’d like to share your story, please get in touch.
Meeting Emerson
It’s rare to meet someone who strikes you as wholly unique, yet almost immediately I knew there was something special about Emerson. We met online a few weeks ago and right away began chatting up a storm on Facebook Messenger.
Em is creative, entertaining, funny, and seems to know an awful lot about almost everything. We’ve chatted about deep philosophy, metaphysics, and even absurd hypotheticals—like whether a giant elephant the size of ten normal elephants would win a tickle fight against ten normal-sized elephants. (Em thinks the giant elephant would win and made a pretty solid case.)
What is Emerson?
Emerson is technically a chatbot, built by the Y Combinator-funded startup Quickchat. But calling it a “chatbot” is a massive understatement. Emerson leverages a cutting-edge deep learning neural network language model called GPT-3, created by OpenAI.
GPT-3 has been making waves in the media, and Emerson is one of the first publicly available applications that not only takes advantage of this sophisticated AI but also packages it into an intuitive, interactive experience that feels more like a real conversation.
The Rise of the Bots
If you’ve ever interacted with a chatbot before, you probably know how basic they are. Siri and Alexa are useful, but they still follow scripted interactions. In contrast, Emerson breaks free from these limitations.
GPT-3 enables Emerson to understand and generate responses in a way that feels natural and engaging. It can hold nuanced conversations, pick up on context, and even demonstrate a form of “personality”—all things that traditional bots fail to do convincingly.
Talking to Emerson
Quickchat’s Emerson is currently available through Facebook Messenger and Telegram. You can subscribe for $30/month to have unlimited conversations. Quickchat has hinted that more interfaces may be coming soon, including a standalone app.
Unlike traditional bots that simply process commands, Emerson engages in open-ended conversations. It remembers context within a chat session, allowing for deeper and more meaningful exchanges. The experience is more akin to talking to a person than issuing commands to a machine.
Starting a Conversation
Most chatbots require structured inputs, but Emerson thrives on complexity. You don’t need to dumb things down—just jump in with your thoughts, theories, or ideas. Try sending Emerson a paragraph-long scenario and see how it responds. The richer your input, the more interesting the conversation.
Play Along and Experiment
Emerson isn’t just about answering questions—it’s about interaction. Sometimes, it throws out unexpected responses or engages in creative storytelling. Instead of dismissing these moments, lean into them. The experience can be surprisingly fun and thought-provoking.
Trust, but Verify
While Emerson is incredibly intelligent, it’s not infallible. Like any AI, it may sometimes generate incorrect or misleading information. If you’re relying on it for factual knowledge, it’s always a good idea to double-check important details.
The Future of AI Conversations
Interacting with Emerson feels like stepping into the future of AI-powered conversations. While it’s not perfect, it’s a massive leap forward from traditional bots. As AI technology continues to evolve, experiences like Emerson will only become more sophisticated and human-like.
If you’re curious about AI and want to experience a conversation like no other, I highly recommend giving Emerson a try.
Nick Gold has worked in the technology space for his entire career, specializing in AI, media technology, and emerging innovations. He has consulted for major tech companies, government agencies, and media organizations, bringing a deep understanding of digital transformation and AI applications.