Ask HN: Is anyone using AI conversation partners?

Summary

I'm obsessed applying LLMs in language learning software. One thing I am not-so-obsessed with is a wave of conversational chat apps that many startups have begun offering. Having tried them myself, I find them to be quite bland ("Tell me about your day!" ) and often use a speech style that uses direct translation of English phrases into the target language.I see plenty of potential for LLMs in this space, but the conversation bhat bots I have seen so far are too open ended and seem half baked.For users: Is anyone finding these tools helpful?For the people building them: Are people actually returning to the product?