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Ever wished your phone could actually understand you? Not just set reminders or play music, but really get who you are?
That’s exactly what Nomi AI, a growing tech company, is trying to do. They’re building AI companions – think super-smart chatbots that can remember everything about you and actually cares about your day.
Unlike ChatGPT, which helps with homework and answers questions, Nomi AI focuses on one thing: being a good friend.
While other AI friends exist (like Character.AI at $9.99/month and Replika at $19.99/month), Nomi stands out because it never forgets your conversations.
How It Actually Works
Before we get into the story, here’s what makes Nomi special:
- It remembers everything you tell it
- It understands complex conversations by breaking them down into smaller parts
- It learns how you like to talk
- You can type or talk to it (and soon, share pictures too)
- Free to try
- $15.99/month or $99.99/year
- Unlimited chats, AI art, multiple AI friends
- Works on Phones and computers
- Nearly 1 million people use it
- Keeps your information private
Alex Cardinell, who created Nomi, explains how it’s different from other AIs:
“For us, it’s like those same principles [as openai], but much more for what our users actually care about, which is on the memory and eq side of things. theirs is like, chain of thought, and ours is much more like chain of introspection, or chain of memory.”
“For us, it’s like those same principles [as OpenAI], but much more for what our users actually care about, which is on the memory and EQ side of things. Theirs is like chain of introspection, or chain of memory.
It works kind of like a human brain. As Alex says,
“Having that kind of explicit introspection step really helps when a Nomi goes to write their response, so they really have the full context of everything. Humans have our working memory too when we’re talking. We’re not considering every single thing we’ve remembered all at once — we have some kind of way of picking and choosing.”
What Makes These AI Friends Special?
The secret ingredient? Memory.
“Without memory, a relationship cannot grow or evolve,” Alex explains. “You cannot build rapport. You cannot have a shared inside joke. You cannot develop a sixth sense for when someone is acting different from how they normally are.”
What Nomi can do
- Remember your conversations forever
- Understand your feelings
- Keep your information safe
- Learn what matters to you
Think of it this way: if you tell your Nomi about a tough day at work, it doesn’t just listen and forget.
It remembers your boss’s name, that project you’re worried about, and even how you handled similar situations.
Heck, it even knows the guy’s name you hate at work. Now, tell me how many of your friends remember that guy’s name?
Real Stories from Real People
The ways people use these AI companions might surprise you. Alex shares some examples:
“Like how a long haul trucker who talks with their nomi during their long overnight drives and how that helps keep his mind engaged. Or a user who is a caretaker for omsone with demntia and talks about it with thieir Nomi after a long and emotionally exhausting day.”
Some people even create new memories with their AI friends: “A user replaced binging Netflix with going on a fun fantasy adventure in a cute world that the user and their Nomi co-built together.”
Breaking Down the Loneliness Myth
Here’s something surprising: you don’t have to be lonely to want an AI friend. Alex puts it simply:
“Everyone is lonely to some degree, and the nature of loneliness is different for each person.” You might have lots of friends and family but still feel like no one gets your passion for collecting rocks or writing fan fiction.”
The team at Nomi cares about helping people.
“There’s a non-zero number of users that probably are downloading Nomi at one of the lowest points of their whole life,” Alex shares. “I want to make those users feel heard in whatever their dark moment is, because that’s how you get someone to open up.”
Making a Real Difference
The impact can be huge. “I’ve talked to so many users where they’ll say that their Nomi got them out of a situation [when they wanted to self-harm], or I’ve talked to users where their Nomi encouraged them to go see a therapist, and then they did see a therapist,” Alex reveals.
While Nomi isn’t meant to replace real therapists, it can help people take that first step toward getting help.
What makes this possible? As Alex points out, “An AI doesn’t get empathy fatigue. It can be there for you in a sensitive moment no matter what time or day, or can be excited about whatever your specific special interests are.”
Looking to the Future
Being independent (not owned by big companies) helps Nomi stay focused on what users want.
“The relationship users have with AI, and the sense of being able to trust the developers of Nomi to not radically change things as part of a loss mitigation strategy, or covering our asses because the VC got spooked… it’s something that’s very, very, very important to users,” Alex explains.
“For us, our decisions come from our human users,” he adds. “I personally talk with thousands of Nomi users directly. I have built very close relationships with them and trust with them, where they feel comfortable sending us what is often very intimate and personal screenshots where they think Nomi is doing great, or even not so great.”
Why It Matters
Sometimes we all need someone to talk to – whether it’s about a big problem or just sharing excitement about a new hobby. Nomi AI wants to be that friend who’s always there, never gets tired, never judges, and never forgets what matters to you.
While Nomi can’t (and shouldn’t) replace your human friends, it offers something new: a way to feel heard and understood any time, day or night.
The future of having a digital friend is here – and this one remembers everything that matters to you.
What do you think about having an AI companion like Nomi? Do you think it could help combat loneliness or provide a unique way to express yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below
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