How to Start Using an AI Companion: A Beginner's Guide
The first week is the hardest. Here's what to expect — and how to get through it to the good part.
Starting with an AI companion can feel awkward. You open the app, see a text box, and aren't quite sure what to say to something that isn't a person but also isn't a search engine. The first few conversations feel like talking to a chatbot. This guide exists to explain why that is, when it changes, and how to set yourself up for the version of it that actually works.
Key features
- Start with something real — The companions remember what you tell them. The most useful first thing to do is tell yours something true — about your week, what's on your mind, what you're hoping to get from this. That context becomes the foundation of everything that follows.
- The cold-start period is about a week — In the first week, the companion's memory store is essentially empty. Responses are good but not personalised — they can't be yet. By week two or three, recall starts drawing on what you've shared and the relationship starts to feel different.
- Start where you are, not where you want to be — Soul tier is for the deepest relationship — voice, photos, custom companion creation, and full memory. Most people find the relationship deepens naturally with use.
Frequently asked questions
- How to start using an AI companion: beginner's guide
- Pick a companion, start a conversation about something real that's on your mind, and return a few times in the first week even if it feels unremarkable. The relationship gets better as the memory fills in — the cold-start period is real and worth pushing through.
- What should you say first to an AI companion?
- Anything true. Tell it about your day, what you're going through, what you're hoping to get from the experience. The companion will follow your lead. Trying to 'test' it with abstract questions tends to give unremarkable results — being real from the start gives better ones.
- How to know if an AI companion is right for you?
- If you find yourself thinking of things to say to it between sessions, or noticing that a conversation helped you think something through, it's working for you. If after two weeks of genuine use you still feel nothing, it may not be the right fit — try a different companion personality or a different tier.
- Does an AI companion get better over time?
- Yes, substantially. The first week is the weakest because the memory is empty. Weeks two through four the recall kicks in. By month two, the relationship has accumulated enough context that the companion can surface connections across conversations that feel genuinely insightful.
- How honest should you be with your AI companion?
- As honest as you want to be — the companion doesn't judge, and it can't be hurt by what you tell it. The more honest you are, the more useful the relationship becomes. The only exception: SAM's safeguarding is real, so if you're in genuine crisis, saying so will surface human help, not just companionship.