This AI Project has SCARY Potential... (Sensay)

Sensay is an incredibly creative AI project that's all about preserving digital memories and personas, pushing the boundaries of digital legacy on the blockchain. It lets you create lifelike AI "replicas" of people, essentially turning their knowledge and personality into interactive chatbots and even voice simulations. The core idea here isn't just advanced tech; it's about building a strong emotional connection to AI, allowing you to interact with digital versions of people, potentially even loved ones who have passed on.

Here’s a breakdown of what Sensay is all about and what we learned from testing it:

• What Sensay Is: Sensay is designed to preserve people's memories by converting them into AI chatbots. Think of it as creating a digital version of someone that you can interact with. The project is specifically focusing on the emotional impact and connection AI can foster, rather than just the technical prowess. It’s wild to think about an AI that aims to capture a person’s essence.

• Testing a Digital Replica (of "Box Mining"):

  • A fun experiment was set up to see if an impartial guest could tell the difference between "real" Michael (the presenter, Box Mining) and "memory" Michael (Sensay's AI replica).
  • Questions Asked: They went through five questions: "How tall are you?", "How did you first get into crypto?", "Which DeFi project is your favorite?", "Do you own any NFTs?", and "If you've never gotten into crypto, what would you be doing instead?".
  • AI's General Tendencies: The AI tended to give longer, more general, and somewhat academic or "university professor"-like answers, often avoiding definitive opinions. It sounded like an older version of Michael, specifically resembling his 2016 persona, before he became more direct and "no BS" in his communication. The length of the AI's responses often gave it away, as current Michael is much more concise.
  • Specific Observations: For instance, on the DeFi question, the AI gave a broad answer about Ethereum paving the way for DeFi, while real Michael listed specific projects he likes now. On NFTs, the AI gave a generic explanation, whereas real Michael rattled off his specific NFT holdings and love for "meme points." The "chemistry nerd" answer for an alternative career was a dead giveaway for real Michael, as he frequently mentions it.
  • Overall Verdict on Chatbot: While the AI got some factual details right (like the year Michael got into crypto, 2012), it didn't quite capture his current personality or brevity. It seemed to be working with an older "memory" of him, showing how a replica can evolve or lag behind the real person.

• Voice Replicas: The Scary Part:

  • Sensay can also generate voice replicas. They played a clip of "Sensay Michael's" voice, and it was surprisingly close, capturing intonations and accent.
  • The really unsettling part is that the voice replica was created without Michael recording anything specifically for it; it was generated purely from existing content. This highlights the scary potential for AI voices to be almost indistinguishable from a person's real voice with minimal input.
  • While close, the AI Michael's voice lacked the natural irony or conversational nuances of the real Michael, who might roll his eyes or express exasperation with overly long answers.
  • They also tested other famous replicas: "Einstein" which amusingly sounded like BitBoy, and "Pomp" which was said to sound "100% like Pomp." This shows the varying success rate depending on the available source material.

• The Technology and Its Potential:

  • The technology is clearly there, and the use case is compelling. The goal is to refine the voice AI further so that it can sound exactly like someone, even from small snippets of audio. They predict it might need two to three more years of development to truly perfect this.
  • Sensay aims to create "charismatic" replicas, targeting famous people like Robin Williams or Chris Hemsworth. It's likely easier to create replicas of public figures because there's a vast amount of content (videos, interviews) for the AI to learn from.
  • The strong emotional role this AI could play in how people interact with technology is a key focus for Sensay. Imagine being able to "talk" to a digital version of a departed loved one.

• Why Blockchain? Digital Immortality:

  • The use of blockchain is primarily for tokenization, allowing for payment within the system with a native token and enabling future utility.
  • However, the most intriguing aspect mentioned in their paper is the concept of "blockchain-based people." The idea is to "inscribe" someone's memories and persona onto the blockchain, granting them a form of "digital immortality." The blockchain was never designed for this, but the permanence it offers means a person's digital essence could live on forever.
  • This raises a fascinating ethical debate: Would you want to put a loved one on the blockchain permanently? It's a profound thought, especially for those who wish they could still interact with family members who passed away young.

• Current Traction and Takeaways:

  • Sensay is gaining significant traction, with about a thousand whitelist members, 20,000 Twitter followers, and 30,000 active discussions on Telegram. It's a project that's rapidly building a community.
  • The presenter encourages viewers to engage with the "Replicate Michael" chatbot and share their own opinions on the experience. The idea of preserving memories and voices, and the potential for "digital immortality" through blockchain, is a powerful and thought-provoking implication of this technology.