On Thursday, the AI startup Sesame, co-founded by Oculus’s founders and others from the VR company that sold to Meta, released a public preview of its conversational AI agents. The new iOS app aims to improve upon traditional chatbot experiences by allowing the AI to think and respond in real-time. According to Sesame, the app enables conversations that feel more natural, even if the AI needs time to process information. The company explained, "There’s an inherent tension between replying quickly and taking the time to compose thoughtful responses. A slower response is usually more correct, but it can also feel unnatural if it takes too long." To address this challenge, Sesame claims to have developed fast search and retrieval systems, allowing the AI to access up-to-date information. The AI can run multiple parallel searches while speaking, weaving results into its responses as it talks, making it talk more like a human. The app features four distinct AI agents called Maya, Miles, Simone, and Charlie, each with their own voice, personality, and memory. Maya and Miles were previously available in Sesame’s Research Preview, where they were accessed by over a million people within the first few weeks, according to Sesame investor Sequoia. During the beta phase, Sesame incorporated user feedback to add features like search cards with image results, notes for capturing takeaways, a texting mode for when speaking aloud isn't an option, and support for deep dives for more in-depth results. The app also includes an incognito mode for private conversations, which retains prior context but saves nothing to memory. However, the iOS app is only the first step in Sesame’s plans for AI, including intelligent eyewear expected to launch in 2027. The agents will also learn to take action on the user’s behalf, as hinted by the company, which is why they are called "agents" rather than just chatbots. The iOS app is available in 39 countries, with a free full experience for now. However, there may be a short waitlist at sign-up. An Android preview is expected in the future. *Source: [techcrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/28/sesame-the-conversational-ai-startup-from-oculus-founders-launches-its-ios-app/)*