# Cognition Acquires Poke: AI Personality as a Competitive Edge AI assistants are evolving to be not just functional, but also personable. - **Source:** [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com) - **Published:** 2026-07-24 - **Topic:** [Data & AI](https://brifing.si/c/data-ai) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/c38a7f0b-6569-4bf0-85d3-bfef2cafa1ec ## Poke's unique feature Poke is an AI assistant that chats with users like a friend, not just a tool. It incorporates slang and humor to make interactions more personal. This feature aims to add value to Cognition's coding assistant, Devin. ## Acquisition details Cognition acquired Poke in a deal valued in the 'low nine figures.' Poke's interaction model and personality will be integrated into Devin. Meanwhile, Poke will leverage Cognition's infrastructure to become faster and more reliable. ## Why user interaction matters How AI assistants interact with users is becoming as valuable as their underlying models. Cognition wants Devin to feel more like a colleague than software. This could make the work experience more enjoyable and engaging. ## Poke's use cases Poke assists users with tasks across travel, health, finance, and education. Productivity tasks like email management and reminders are among its most common uses. Over 100 million messages were exchanged in the last three months. ## Future plans Poke will remain on Apple's Messages for Business platform. Next year, it will experiment with Cognition's SWE-1.7 model for certain tasks. A full merger of the two products hasn't been ruled out. ## The personality revolution in AI This acquisition highlights that AI assistants will stand out not just for functionality, but also for personality and interaction quality. Users viewing AI as a 'colleague' could set a new industry standard. ## Sources covering this story - https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/why-cognition-bought-poke-ai-personality-is-becoming-a-competitive-advantage/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._