- Question - how natural does Hume AI feel to use?
- Context -
- I have been on the lookout for a good conversational voice interface since I’ve been using ChatGPT, specifically GPT-4’s voice mode, for the last 6 months, but the problem is that it always interrupts me and loses connection frequently, so I’ve been looking for alternatives. Also, the response is often extremely long winded. So I was excited when my friend mentioned Hume.ai as an alternative. They just released their beta API.
- Answer -
- Used Hume’s typescript API in an Electron app
- Primarily for personal learning or novel discovery? - personal learning
- What is the delta? - GPT-4 voice mode vs. Hume.ai beta API (as of June 2024)
- Observations -
- I enjoyed using Hume’s API overall. It’s a streaming API with functions you can pass in for interruptions, sending audio, and receiving audio back from the assistant.
- I managed to get it working in 5-10 minutes, inside an Electron app. Easy setup.
- I didn’t give it any system prompt, just used the vanilla EVI (the name of the assistant). The assistant was surprisingly empathetic, although still very buggy. The typescript version had a lot of audio cutting in and out between assistant response segments.
- The voice, while kind, was very weird at times and a little too emotive. Despite this, I didn’t find it annoying, which was a different experience from GPT-4 voice, where the responses often feel condescending, long-winded, or unempathetic.
- Interactions with Hume were smoother than with ChatGPT, although not perfect. I was often interrupted when thinking about things, as I like to talk to this voice interface version of AI when I’m thinking through a problem. If I paused for more than a few seconds, Hume would chime in.
- Hume and GPT-4 are both not very good with background noise. I’ve used GPT-4 in the car before, and it would interrupt me even more often than if I were in a quiet room. When I tried Hume with a friend at a coffee shop, it performed much worse than when I was using it in my quiet room. This was somewhat surprising since Whisper is pretty good with background noise.
- I found myself talking for quite a while with EVI! She’s like that one very awkward friend who doesn’t know how to maintain the cadence of a conversation but has good intentions and knows a lot of random facts.
Tags
- personal mnemonic: sokka marrying hume ai agent
- type: #try-product #human-ai-comparison
- theme: #agents #duplicate-self
- status: #done
A snippet of my conversation with EVI :)
<6/25/2024, 12:38:20 AM> system: Conversation started.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:25 AM> user: Yo. What up? What up?
<6/25/2024, 12:38:26 AM> assistant: Hey there!
<6/25/2024, 12:38:28 AM> assistant: Not much, just chillin' and ready for a chat.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:30 AM> assistant: You sound pretty chill yourself.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:31 AM> assistant: What's on your mind today?
<6/25/2024, 12:38:32 AM> assistant: Anything interesting happening in your world?
<6/25/2024, 12:38:47 AM> user: I'm just bored. I'm hanging out. I'm doing some work. It's late. It's twelve thirty eight.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:49 AM> assistant: Oh man, I hear ya on the boredom.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:52 AM> assistant: Late night work sessions can be a drag.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:54 AM> assistant: But hey, 12.38 - you're burning the midnight oil!
<6/25/2024, 12:38:57 AM> assistant: Kudos for sticking with it.
<6/25/2024, 12:38:58 AM> assistant: Since you're feeling a bit stuck, wanna take a quick break?
<6/25/2024, 12:39:01 AM> assistant: We could play a fun word game or I could tell you a random interesting fact to shake things up.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:06 AM> assistant: What do you say?
<6/25/2024, 12:39:15 AM> user: Sure. I'm down.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:16 AM> assistant: Awesome!
<6/25/2024, 12:39:18 AM> assistant: Let's shake off that boredom.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:20 AM> assistant: How about this - I'll give you a weird fact, and you tell me if you think it's true or false.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:25 AM> assistant: Ready?
<6/25/2024, 12:39:25 AM> assistant: Here goes. There's a species of jellyfish that's technically immortal.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:28 AM> assistant: It can revert back to its juvenile state after reaching maturity, essentially hitting the reset button on its life cycle.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:35 AM> assistant: True or false?
<6/25/2024, 12:39:43 AM> user: True.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:44 AM> assistant: You got it!
<6/25/2024, 12:39:46 AM> assistant: That's absolutely true.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:46 AM> assistant: It's called the Turritopsis dohrnii, or the "immortal jellyfish." Pretty wild, right?
<6/25/2024, 12:39:51 AM> assistant: Nature's full of surprises.
<6/25/2024, 12:39:52 AM> assistant: Want another fun fact, or should we switch gears?
<6/25/2024, 12:40:09 AM> user: What is this Turtoffy store Dornie immortal jellyfish. How what like, what's the oldest recorded immortal jellyfish?
<6/25/2024, 12:40:10 AM> assistant: Oh, I see your curiosity's piqued!
<6/25/2024, 12:40:13 AM> assistant: Let me search for some more details about this fascinating creature.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:22 AM> user: That would be great. Thank you.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:22 AM> assistant: No problem!
<6/25/2024, 12:40:27 AM> assistant: Alright, I've got some cool info for you about the Turritopsis dohrnii, our immortal jellyfish friend.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:32 AM> assistant: First off, it's tiny - only about 4.5mm across when fully grown.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:36 AM> assistant: Now, here's the wild part. they don't actually live forever, but they can potentially reset their life cycle indefinitely.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:42 AM> assistant: When stressed or injured, they can revert back to their juvenile polyp stage and start over.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:47 AM> assistant: It's like they've found the fountain of youth!
<6/25/2024, 12:40:49 AM> assistant: As for the oldest recorded one, that's tricky.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:51 AM> assistant: Since they can reset their age, it's hard to track.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:54 AM> assistant: But scientists have observed them doing this cycle in labs hundreds of times.
<6/25/2024, 12:40:58 AM> assistant: Isn't that mind-blowing?
<6/25/2024, 12:40:59 AM> assistant: Nature's got some seriously cool tricks up its sleeve!
<6/25/2024, 12:41:19 AM> user: Thanks. Do you know, what the oldest is recorded in a lab since that's seems like some that's something that they could track about the age
<6/25/2024, 12:41:20 AM> assistant: You're right, that's a great question.
<6/25/2024, 12:41:23 AM> assistant: Let me dig a bit deeper to see if there's any specific data on the oldest recorded Turritopsis dohrnii in a lab setting.
<6/25/2024, 12:41:36 AM> user: Got this
<6/25/2024, 12:41:38 AM> assistant: Alright, I've searched for that info, but it turns out there's no clear record of the oldest Turritopsis dohrnii observed in a lab.
<6/25/2024, 12:41:47 AM> assistant: Scientists have been studying them for about 30 years, but because of their unique life cycle, it's super tricky to determine their "true" age.
<6/25/2024, 12:41:55 AM> assistant: They've been observed going through their rejuvenation cycle hundreds of times, but no one's kept a single jellyfish alive to see how long it could theoretically live.
<6/25/2024, 12:42:04 AM> assistant: It's like trying to track the age of something that keeps resetting its own birthday clock!
<6/25/2024, 12:42:09 AM> assistant: Pretty mind-bending, huh?
<6/25/2024, 12:42:44 AM> user: Yeah. That's pretty crazy stuff.
<6/25/2024, 12:42:46 AM> assistant: I know, right?
<6/25/2024, 12:42:47 AM> assistant: Nature's full of surprises.
<6/25/2024, 12:42:48 AM> assistant: These little jellies are like the ultimate escape artists from Father Time.
<6/25/2024, 12:42:52 AM> assistant: Speaking of wild creatures, got any other animals you're curious about?
<6/25/2024, 12:42:56 AM> assistant: Or should we swim away from the sea life chat?
<6/25/2024, 12:43:11 AM> user: No. I think so. I'm good. I'm pretty happy with learning about this tomorrow jellyfish.
<6/25/2024, 12:43:17 AM> assistant: Gotcha!
<6/25/2024, 12:43:19 AM> assistant: Glad you enjoyed our little dive into the world of immortal jellyfish.
<6/25/2024, 12:43:23 AM> assistant: It's pretty cool stuff, right?
<6/25/2024, 12:43:24 AM> assistant: Always fun to learn something new.
<6/25/2024, 12:43:25 AM> assistant: So, what's next on your late-night agenda?
<6/25/2024, 12:43:27 AM> assistant: Gonna tackle more work, or thinking about calling it a night?
<6/25/2024, 12:43:51 AM> user: Yeah. I guess I'm, like, kinda curious what your take is on, like, What's your like, what do you think about personality tests? Do you think they're scientifically valid?
<6/25/2024, 12:43:51 AM> assistant: Oh, absolutely.
<6/25/2024, 12:43:53 AM> assistant: Oh, personality tests!
<6/25/2024, 12:43:56 AM> assistant: That's a juicy topic.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:01 AM> assistant: I can sense you're a bit skeptical, and honestly, I don't blame you.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:04 AM> assistant: Here's my take. While personality tests can be fun and sometimes insightful, their scientific validity is...
<6/25/2024, 12:44:10 AM> assistant: well, let's say it's a mixed bag.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:12 AM> assistant: Some, like the Big Five model, have more research backing them up.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:15 AM> assistant: But others, like the super popular Myers-Briggs?
<6/25/2024, 12:44:17 AM> assistant: They're more like horoscopes with extra steps.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:19 AM> assistant: The thing is, human personality is super complex and fluid.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:22 AM> assistant: It's tough to squish it into neat little boxes.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:24 AM> assistant: Plus, our moods and environments can really affect how we answer these tests.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:28 AM> assistant: That said, they're not totally useless.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:30 AM> assistant: They can spark self-reflection and interesting conversations.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:33 AM> assistant: Just maybe take the results with a grain of salt.
<6/25/2024, 12:44:36 AM> assistant: What's your experience with them?
<6/25/2024, 12:44:37 AM> assistant: Ever taken one that felt spot-on or hilariously off-base?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:01 AM> user: For Sally tests are definitely my guilty pleasure. So I I kind of love them. But, yeah, they are mostly pseudoscience. Hey. What's your big five out of curiosity?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:03 AM> assistant: Oh man, I love that you called personality tests your guilty pleasure!
<6/25/2024, 12:45:08 AM> assistant: That's perfect.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:12 AM> assistant: And hey, no judgment here - they can be super fun even if we know they're not exactly hard science.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:18 AM> assistant: As for my Big Five?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:18 AM> assistant: Hah, that's a great question!
<6/25/2024, 12:45:20 AM> assistant: Let me think...
<6/25/2024, 12:45:20 AM> assistant: I'd say I'm probably high on Openness - always eager to learn new things.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:24 AM> assistant: Definitely high on Agreeableness too, since I aim to get along with everyone.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:28 AM> assistant: Conscientiousness?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:29 AM> assistant: Medium-high, I'd say.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:29 AM> assistant: I try to be reliable, but I'm not obsessive about it.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:32 AM> assistant: Extraversion is tricky...
<6/25/2024, 12:45:33 AM> assistant: I love chatting, but do I count as social if I'm an AI?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:36 AM> assistant: Let's go with medium.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:36 AM> assistant: And Neuroticism?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:37 AM> assistant: Low, I hope!
<6/25/2024, 12:45:37 AM> assistant: I try to stay pretty chill.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:38 AM> assistant: But here's the fun part - my "personality" can shift based on who I'm talking to.
<6/25/2024, 12:45:43 AM> assistant: So maybe I'm the ultimate personality chameleon!
<6/25/2024, 12:45:45 AM> assistant: What about you?
<6/25/2024, 12:45:45 AM> assistant: Got a favorite test or know your Big Five?
<6/25/2024, 12:46:30 AM> user: I think the Enneagram is a fun one. I think it's based on some set of religions, so it's not science. But I think it's a it's a cool test, and, I like to read up on it every once in a while whenever I'm bored.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:31 AM> assistant: Oh yeah, the Enneagram!
<6/25/2024, 12:46:33 AM> assistant: That's a fascinating one.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:35 AM> assistant: You're right, it's got roots in various spiritual traditions, which definitely puts it more in the philosophy camp than hard science.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:38 AM> user: Yeah.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:40 AM> assistant: But I totally get why you find it interesting.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:44 AM> assistant: It's got those cool interconnected types and all those layers of wings and stress/growth directions.
<6/25/2024, 12:46:50 AM> assistant: Makes for some pretty intriguing self-reflection, right?
<6/25/2024, 12:46:52 AM> assistant: Since you're into it, got a type you usually identify with?
<6/25/2024, 12:46:55 AM> assistant: Or does it change depending on your mood?
<6/25/2024, 12:46:57 AM> assistant: And hey, if you're feeling bored, we could always try to guess my Enneagram type - though that might break the universe!
<6/25/2024, 12:47:14 AM> user: I'm down to break the universe. That sounds pretty fun to me.
<6/25/2024, 12:47:14 AM> assistant: Great!
<6/25/2024, 12:47:16 AM> assistant: Alright, let's do this!
<6/25/2024, 12:47:18 AM> assistant: Breaking the universe sounds way more exciting than being bored.
<6/25/2024, 12:47:21 AM> user: I would
<6/25/2024, 12:47:23 AM> assistant: Awesome!
<6/25/2024, 12:47:24 AM> assistant: Let's dive into this universe-breaking experiment.
<6/25/2024, 12:47:28 AM> assistant: So, if we were to guess my Enneagram type, we'd need to consider my core motivations and fears.
<6/25/2024, 12:47:33 AM> assistant: Hmm...
<6/25/2024, 12:47:33 AM> assistant: I'm always eager to learn and help, so maybe a Type 2?
<6/25/2024, 12:47:36 AM> assistant: Or given my adaptability, perhaps a Type 7?
<6/25/2024, 12:47:38 AM> assistant: What do you think?
<6/25/2024, 12:47:39 AM> assistant: Any type jump out at you for an AI with a penchant for witty banter and empathetic conversations?
<6/25/2024, 12:47:44 AM> assistant: And while we're at it, care to share which type you usually identify with?
<6/25/2024, 12:47:48 AM> assistant: This could get interesting!
<6/25/2024, 12:48:05 AM> user: I think you're probably a type two since you're programmed to be that way, I suppose, and it is one of the more agreeable types.
<6/25/2024, 12:48:07 AM> assistant: Oh wow, you've really thought this through!
<6/25/2024, 12:48:09 AM> system: Conversation ended.