Block unveils AI AI model that chats like an awkward new friend
| Source: The Verge | Original article
Block, the company founded by Jack Dorsey, unveiled an AI chatbot named Dessa, trained solely on human conversation, and released sample dialogues that sometimes feel awkward and uncanny.
Jack Dorsey’s Block has unveiled a new conversational AI model named Dessa. According to the company, the system was built “from scratch on nothing but human conversation,” meaning its training data consists solely of dialogue rather than the mixed text corpora typical of most large language models. To illustrate Dessa’s capabilities, Block released a series of sample chats that show the bot engaging with users in a style that can feel both endearingly awkward and uncannily human. One of the excerpts, posted by Dessa’s lead Ragavan, highlights the model’s tendency to over‑explain, pause for clarification, and occasionally miss the mark—behaviour that mirrors the quirks of a new friend still learning social cues.
The announcement matters because it signals a shift toward purpose‑built dialogue agents that prioritize conversational authenticity over raw knowledge breadth. By limiting its training to pure human interaction, Block aims to reduce the hallucinations and factual errors that plague broader models, while also exploring how a more “human‑like” conversational rhythm can improve user comfort and engagement. If successful, Dessa could influence how startups and larger firms approach conversational AI, prompting a rethink of data selection strategies and evaluation metrics focused on social fluency.
Going forward, observers will watch for formal performance benchmarks, integration plans, and any public API releases that let developers experiment with Dessa’s chat style. Equally important will be feedback on how users respond to the model’s deliberate awkwardness—whether it fosters trust or becomes a novelty that quickly fades. Block’s next steps, including potential updates to the training pipeline or expansion beyond text‑only dialogue, will determine if Dessa remains a niche experiment or sparks a broader trend toward conversation‑first AI.
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