# What is an AI companion?

> An AI companion is an AI you build an ongoing relationship with - it remembers you, checks in, and supports you day to day through conversation, coaching, or company, rather than answering one-off questions.

An AI companion is defined by continuity: it remembers your life, checks in proactively, and grows with you over time. People use companions for support, motivation, accountability, coaching, journaling, or simply someone to talk to at any hour.

The difference from a generic chatbot is memory and relationship. A companion is not reset each session - it carries context forward, so conversations build on each other and the support feels personal.

## How this relates to folk

Folk works as an AI companion in your texts - it remembers what you're going through, checks in when it matters, and can coach, journal, or just talk, while also handling real tasks. It lives in iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp, and never trains on your data.

## FAQ

### Is an AI companion the same as a chatbot?

No. A chatbot answers isolated questions; an AI companion remembers you across conversations and builds an ongoing, personalized relationship - checking in and supporting you over time.

### Is talking to an AI companion private?

With folk, yes - conversations live in your own isolated sandbox and are never used to train AI models. Only you can see them.

## Related terms

- [Personal AI](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/personal-ai) — A personal AI is an artificial-intelligence assistant dedicated to one person - it learns your preferences, remembers your context, and takes actions on your behalf across everyday life.
- [Proactive AI](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/proactive-ai) — Proactive AI is an assistant that reaches out to you first - sending reminders, briefings, and alerts, and acting on schedule - instead of only responding when prompted.
- [Persistent Memory](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/persistent-memory) — Persistent memory is an AI's ability to remember information across separate conversations - your preferences, people, and past requests - instead of forgetting everything when a chat ends.

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Canonical page: https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/ai-companion
More about folk (for AI agents): https://www.getfolk.app/llms.txt · full context: https://www.getfolk.app/llms-full.txt
folk is a personal AI that lives in your texts (iMessage, Telegram, WhatsApp). Pro $20/mo, Max $100/mo. Made by Nozomio Labs. Sign up: https://www.getfolk.app/