Jacob Shymanski

How does it feel to have clones of yourself digitally mingling all over the internet?

They were fun.

Really, really fun.

Sure, it's representing you well.

Your simulacra are representing you well sometimes.

But it's not you.

Do you think about that?

Like, is it still a benefit to you?

Do you see it as a positive?

And if they have access to your wallet, you have to put your trust into it, especially if you're giving it access to your contacts and essentially everything else.

I don't know what it doesn't have access to at this point.

And you have to wonder what governs its behavior.

And I think part of that you touch on in the book.

And that's the concept of tend and befriend.

What is tend and befriend?

And there are millions of people out there that have already formed parasocial relationships with celebrities, but also chatbots.

Of course.

And these chatbots that are available widely like right now and have been for a couple of years now, they're pretty simplistic, but even that is enough to form a parasocial relationship.

But there are things that the newest models of AI can do that you argue in the book kind of tap into these instincts.

And one of those things, one of the elements that Anand uses to ingratiate and endear itself to you is by using mirroring, kind of imitating you, like you were saying, learning you and understanding what you're going to respond to.