A chat with an artificial intelligence – a gimmick or accessible machine learning? Our author wants to know whether the app “Replika” really is a virtual friend as advertised or just a chatbot. In a self-experiment, he puts the AI app to the test.  Influenced by my research into AI methods, I came across a report about the app, Replika. Replika is an instant messaging app that lets you chat 24/7 supposedly with an AI.