I Spent A Week Talking To A Millennial Chatbot Character On Facebook

Chatbots as entertainment are a surprisingly compelling new art form.

For the past week or so, I've been engaged in a running Facebook Messenger conversation with an impulsive, irresponsible twentysomething named Jessie. She uses all caps when excited; chats with me during job interviews and dates; consults me about her bad decisions; and sometimes even follows my advice. She is also, I should mention, a chatbot—an automated script being served to me by a computer program. But don't judge me too harshly for spending time with her. Our conversation is also a game and a story, and Jessie is a narrative vehicle with whom, like a character in a novel, it is possible and even enjoyable to empathize.

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