AI Assistants Are Getting More Human: How a Coding Startup Paid Big Money for a Friendly Chatbot

Imagine your AI assistant not just giving you answers, but chatting with you like a friend, maybe even cracking a joke. That's the surprising idea behind a major new deal in the tech world. Cognition, a startup known for its AI coding assistant, just scooped up Poke, an AI helper with a distinct human-like personality, for a sum in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

This acquisition brings Poke's unique style of interaction straight into Cognition's wheelhouse. Cognition's AI, Devin, helps software engineers write code. The goal now is to make Devin feel less like a rigid tool and more like a helpful, personable colleague. In return, Poke will get access to Cognition's advanced AI models and tech infrastructure, promising to make it even faster and more reliable for its users.

What makes Poke stand out is how it talks to you. Unlike many AI tools that feel impersonal, Poke responds with a friendly tone, incorporating slang and humor into its chats. It's designed to feel less like software and more like someone you're actually interacting with. This human touch is exactly what Cognition saw as a huge advantage for its own AI products. As one of Poke's co-founders put it, people prefer co-workers with personality, and the same goes for software.

The Interaction Company of California, the team behind Poke, launched their AI assistant in March 2026. Since then, Poke quickly gained traction by letting users chat with its AI through popular messaging apps like iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp. It handles various daily tasks, from managing emails and reminders to helping with travel and finance. In just three months, Poke users exchanged over 100 million messages, showing how much people connected with its conversational style. However, despite its popularity, running Poke was quite expensive, making it hard for the company to turn a profit on its own.

This acquisition signals a big shift in the world of artificial intelligence. It shows that how an AI interacts with people is becoming just as important, if not more important, than the raw intelligence or power of the underlying technology. For everyday people, this means future AI tools, whether they are helping you manage your calendar or even assist with creative tasks, are likely to feel more approachable, intuitive, and genuinely helpful because they understand human conversation better. Companies are now betting big that making AI feel like a thoughtful companion will be key to its widespread success, changing how we all experience technology daily.

For now, Poke will continue operating as usual through the end of the year. The team plans to experiment next year with how both Poke and Devin can improve by learning from each other. This includes Poke potentially using Cognition's advanced coding models for certain tasks. The companies are even considering a full combination of their products down the line. We should watch for Devin to become more conversational and Poke to take on more complex "orchestration" roles, remembering tasks across multiple AI sessions, making it a truly persistent and personalized helper.

Do you prefer your AI assistants to have a human-like personality, or should they remain purely functional and efficient, even if they feel less friendly?

As AI becomes more conversational and personable, where do you think the line should be drawn between a helpful tool and something that feels too familiar or even manipulative?

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Filed under: AIInnovation, HumanAI, TechAcquisition, CognitionAI, PokeAI