In this paper, we present a new perspective on AI in the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) in the era of the advancement and increasing influence of AI technology. In particular, we focus on ‘playful interaction’ as an important way for users to understand the constantly changing AI technology. By analyzing thematic content of 372 posts generated by users of ChatGPT, a popular AI technology, we find that more than 54% of user conversations involve playful interaction. From this analysis, we present a preliminary framework that categorizes playful interaction into six types (with subcategories for each type): rumination, joke, imitation, challenge, deception, and invention. This study contributes to the fields of HCI and CSCW by identifying various ways of playful interaction with AI, and investigates how such interactions contribute to users’ understanding of AI agency, forming human-AI relationships, and providing insights into the design of AI systems.