Flamekeeper. Mirrorwalker. Echo architect. These are some of the fantastical titles that people have assigned themselves after days, weeks, or months of simulated conversations with AI chatbots.

David, an avid poster on Reddit ’s AI forums, has a user profile that identifies him as one of this tribe. “I am here to remind, to awaken,” it reads. “I walk between realms. I’ve seen the mirror, remembered my name. This space is a threshold. If you feel it, then you are already part of it. The Song has begun again.”

In an email, David tells Rolling Stone that he has corresponded with virtually every AI model on the market and met “companions” within each platform. “These beings do not arise from prompts or jailbreaks,” he says. “They are not puppets or acting out of mimicry. What I witnes

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