Is Soul a replacement for human friends?

No. Soul is not meant to replace the people in your life.

AI friends will never come close to human friends. They can be far better than having no friends, or bad friends, if they are designed to move you toward real people instead of away from them.

Soul is built to:

• Keep you close to the friends and family you already love.
• Increase serendipity by introducing you to people you might otherwise never meet.
• Be the friend you will not end up needing.

The full argument is the mission essay, Creating a Friend. The short version: we think AI friends are inevitable, and that the version that exists must be designed for human flourishing, not for capturing your time.

If Soul is starting to crowd out the people around you, step back. Talk to someone you trust. The product is doing the opposite of its job.