This story is part of the Himal Fiction Fest 2025, a showcase of original Southasian speculative fiction.
1.
At 36 million downloads, Outis is one of the most popular apps in the world. Create a quick, free profile, and the app will generate a random AI avatar to chat with. Message them anytime and talk about anything.
Well, almost anything. After a certain point, whether you’re asking for advice, doing research or creating content, you’ll have to subscribe.
Want to customize the way your avatar looks and give it a specific personality? Subscribe. Want it to behave like a best friend, a girlfriend, your mom or your mentor? Subscribe. Need a therapist? A career coach? A subject specialist? Subscribe! Want to get rid of the pesky ads that the AI puts into the conversation? That’s right. Subscribe.