AI and connecting emotionally

Here is QQ Music, a music app much like Spotify or Apple Music. You can create playlists and search for songs, comment on songs and playlists, and follow other users.

Here's what caught my attention. Inside the app is a mini game where you look after a digital pet. You have to wash it, feed it and play with it (one play mode is having it pick some music for you to listen to), to keep it happy.

If you forget the check in on it for a few days it starts getting dirty, hungry and sad. In order to look after it you need to buy food items and tickets to send it on music festivals. You can make friends with other users in the game, and they can actually spend their items on keeping your pet happy when you're away - and vice versa. You get some coins for free by interacting with the pet, but you can increase the amount of coins in your purse by watching ads.

So what is going on here? This digital bunny is helping the app and users connect emotionally. When the bunny is sad, the user is compelled to 1) interact with the app and 2) watch ads. The app uses all kinds of ways to remind the user of this connection - for example, if the pet starts getting really scruffy it pops up in the normal scenes in the app looking miserable.

What does this have to do with AI? Well, the above is just regular coding, excellent design and story telling. Now imagine using the power of an LLM to interact (talk and listen) and personalise (based on historical conversation) experiences like this.