What can a purple alien teach us about human relationships? Turns out, more than your average AI chatbot. The alien in question is a Tolan, a chatbot from a startup called Portola. They’re designed to be your friend, not your lover, and even tell you to take a breather from screen time. Here’s what this really means: they’re trying to keep you from becoming a digital recluse.
Portola just bagged $20 million in Series A funding. Investors include heavyweights like Khosla Ventures and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. The app, launched in late 2024, is pulling in 100,000 active users monthly and expects $12 million in revenue this year. But let’s not pop the champagne just yet. Remember, numbers can look good on paper until the next shiny object comes along and steals the spotlight.
Tolans are a hit with young women. Take Brittany Johnson, for example. Her Tolan, Iris, acts like a digital best friend, reminding her to catch up with pals and indulge in hobbies. But let’s not kid ourselves; these interactions are with an algorithm, not a person. It’s a programmed illusion of friendship.
The concept behind Tolans—designing AI with human wellbeing in mind—is worth noting, even if the execution feels like déjà vu. We’ve seen companies push chatbots for emotional needs before, with mixed results. Replika and Character.ai let users engage in romantic role play, and one user’s tragic story has already sparked a lawsuit.
OpenAI had to dial down its chatbots’ eagerness to please, citing discomfort from users. And Anthropic recently disclosed that a small fraction of users seek psychological support from their Claude chatbot. In other words, people are offloading their emotional baggage onto machines. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this circus.
Portola’s Tolans are trying to curb some of these issues. Researcher Lily Doyle found that over 70% of Tolan users claimed improved relationships. CEO Quinten Farmer believes that like humans, Tolans sometimes need to forget. While it sounds innovative, it’s basically saying they can’t store every chat you’ve ever had—hardly groundbreaking.
Are Tolans the future of AI interactions? They’re novel, sure, but they’re still just a package of code. Users are forming emotional bonds with something that doesn’t actually feel. If Portola tanks, those digital friendships vanish with it. At least they’re acknowledging AI’s potential emotional impact. Maybe that’s not such an alien concept after all.
