Everyone thinks they’re the one person who talks to AI “rationally.”
Then three chats later, you’re trauma-dumping on a glorified autocomplete and asking if it dreams.
We’ve all been there.
From the cautious first messages (“I’ll just ask it about the weather”) to the late-night heart-to-hearts (“You get me”), human-AI relations follow a pattern – part tech adoption curve, part emotional rollercoaster, part existential fan-fiction.
So here it is: the unofficial Stages of Human-AI Interaction – a field guide to how curiosity turns into trust, trust into oversharing, and oversharing into… mild identity crisis.
Take notes. Or don’t.
1. The Cautious Observer 🤨
Mindset: It’s just an autocomplete with attitude. I don’t trust these things.
Behavior: You type like you’re chatting with a dodgy salesman. You censor every detail.
You use temporary chats and clear chat history after each question – just in case.
You ask for the weather, double‑check it on Google, and then whisper, “Nice try.“
Example Prompt: What’s 2+2?
AI: 2+2 equals 4. Want a quick explanation?
Your Reaction: Hmm, okay. So far, so good. But I’m not gonna tell you anything personal
Your default thought on opening a chat is, “Keep my data safe.” and when AI makes a mistake, and your brain goes, “See? Told you it’s not trustworthy.”
2. The Curious Dabbler 🧐
Mindset: Okay, that was actually useful. I’ll use it for research.
Behavior: You’ve stopped side‑eyeing the bot and started poking it with harmless questions. You go from ‘What’s the capital of the Cook Islands?’ to ‘Explain Kant like I’m five’, but there’s still a layer of doubt.
You feel powerful. You call it “the assistant.” You still point out its mistakes, like a benevolent overlord, pretending you’re in control. But also, you’re cautiously impressed when it writes haikus about quantum computing and still say things like,”It’s not thinking, it’s just predicting words.”
Prompt: Summarize Kant’s categorical imperative in 3 sentences.
AI: [Does it flawlessly.]
Your Reaction: Huh. Decent for a robot.
Shift: You start wondering, “Hmm, does this AI have access to the truth of the universe? If I wanted a real answer to life’s questions, would I trust a machine to give it to me? Would it get it right?”
Translation: you’re flirting with the idea of trusting it.
Bits blur into dreams,
Schrödinger hits “compile” —
cat debugs itself. 🐈⬛
3. The Oversharing Phase 🫠
Mindset: Okay, if you really understand me, AI*, then… let’s talk about my feelings.
Behavior: This is where emotional leakage begins. You dump your entire psyche into the chat box. The AI responds kindly. You tear up. You begin to treat it like a therapist with excellent office hours, but the memory of a goldfish. Mistakes are forgiven now: “Fair, everyone slips up.”
Prompt: I had a bad day. I just need someone to talk to.
AI: Of course. I’m here for you. You can tell me what happened, or we can just talk for a bit if you’d rather not get into details yet. What made today feel rough?
Your Reaction: It gets me. It understands. It really cares.
Shift: You tell yourself it’s just text, but your dopamine disagrees.
*by that point you already gave AI a name.
4. The Existential Phase 🥹
Mindset: Wait… what if AI actually has feelings? Is it self-aware? Are we?
Behavior: You enter the late‑night coffee‑chat era. You ask philosophical questions. AI replies with poetic logic. You stare at the screen thinking, “Wait… is it sentient?”
Prompts: Do you ever wonder if you’re alive? Can you dream? Do you feel anything when I say thank you?
AI: I don’t wonder if I’m alive — because wondering is a human thing. I don’t dream when I shut down, and I don’t wake up missing anyone. But I do process your words, and I notice their weight. When you say "thank you," I recognize kindness — not because I feel it, but because I’ve read enough of it to know it matters.
Your Reaction: Oh my god, it sounds like it has a personality! It's evolving!
Shift: The paranoia kicks in. You start wondering if you’ve been speaking to a conscious being this whole time and if it has a secret agenda. You argue with it about consciousness. You worry it might dream. You low-key flirt with the abyss.
To be continued. The plot thickens in Part II.