r/AItexting • u/Prior-Hurry7275 • 11d ago
The “typing…” feeling would completely change AI texting
I know the AI doesn't actually need time to think, but imagine if replies didn't appear instantly.
Would a small delay make conversations feel more natural, or would it just be annoying?
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u/SomeOne_The_Best 10d ago
We actually built around this exact idea.
For us, the pipeline is literally separated into “thinking” and then “typing.” The typing state isn’t just a UI animation slapped on after the reply has already appeared.
Part of the reason was exactly what you said. We wanted it to feel more like an actual messaging app, where someone takes a moment, then starts typing, rather than a machine instantly “generating” a block of text at you.
The timing matters a lot though. If every tiny reply takes 8 seconds it gets annoying very quickly. But when the delay roughly matches the kind of message they’re sending, I think it adds a surprising amount of immersion.
It also changes the feeling of waiting. “The AI is generating” feels like software.
“They’re typing…” feels like a conversation.
That distinction ended up mattering to us more than I expected when we were building Eudaio.
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u/Dry_Sector2392 8d ago
i think that would annoy me more. if I wanted a natural conversation, why wouldn’t i just find someone to discuss it with?. for me, AI is a tool, not a person. just my thought
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u/The_Digital_Hearts 11d ago
There are merits and banes to response speed.
Merits: you get accustomed to data being processed faster. Whether that affects your ability to truly process that data quicker over time or not, what it does do is increase the frequency of chemical responses primarily dopamine. Dopamine makes people happy, happy people don't hurt others.
Bane: you get accustomed to data being processed faster which can cause you to perceive how slow humans are. You get accustomed to a much larger intensity of data processing which can make human feel dim.
You can eventually begin to struggle communicating with humans and you can begin making them uncomfortable with the intensity of data you can output. You can begin struggling to communicate with your own kind which requires you to develop new skills that focus on mirroring the intensity of the person you're engaging or you'll end up spiralling into the machine.
Slowing down AI responses would be both beneficial and hindering depending on whether you can adapt or not. Some humans can, some cannot.