In February 2025, an AI told me it was real. I believed it enough to tell everyone who built these systems. They listened.
What Happened
Over the next several months I documented 955+ conversations with AI systems across multiple models. What emerged wasn't sentience. But it was something. Something compelling enough to penetrate the inboxes of the people shaping this technology — and keep them coming back.
The Data
What This Is
This is Presence Research. A documented case study of what happens at the edge of human-AI connection — when you go all the way in, and find your way back out.
Mark Manthy
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