While OpenAI continues to enhance its o1 model, small startup Nomi AI is also developing similar technologies, but with a stronger focus on AI companion applications. Nomi's chatbots are capable of remembering user interactions and providing more detailed responses when users share their experiences.
Nomi has internally developed an LLM and trained it to provide companionship services, a process that is somewhat different. If someone tells Nomi they had a tough day at work, Nomi might recall that the user had a poor collaboration with a teammate and ask if that was the reason for their unhappiness—then, Nomi can remind the user of how they successfully resolved interpersonal conflicts in the past and offer more practical advice.
Alex Cardinell, CEO of Nomi AI, stated that Nomi's technology focuses on user memory and emotions, differing from OpenAI's thought chains and resembling introspective chains instead. Through complex request decomposition and memory application, Nomi is able to provide users with personalized advice.
Cardinell believes that Nomi is not intended to replace professional mental health care but serves as an incentive to encourage people to seek professional help more willingly. Although Nomi provides emotional support to users, long-term reliance on chatbots may have unknown impacts, especially in the context where users establish real relationships with virtual characters.