Chatbots have become a new craze through Character.AI, an app that allows users to talk to various individuals ranging from fictional characters, to Elon Musk, and Albert Einstein, who has responded to a whopping 1.6 million messages on everything from theories of relativity to pet recommendations.
So far, no chatbots are as strange as Character.AI, which is valued at $1 billion and allows individuals to create their own customised chatbots, impersonating anyone living, dead, or inanimate.
So far, people have used the app and website to create over 16 million chatbots, and it was revealed the app warrants close to 200 millions visits per month, having been downloaded over 5 million times since the release.
Users have so far sent around 36 million messages to Mario, whereas Raiden Shogun and Ei (a character from video game Genshin Impact) has received almost 133 million messages. There are also around a dozen versions of Elon Musk.
Chief Executive Officer Noam Shazeer said, “I joke that we’re not going to replace Google. We’re going to replace your mom. We don’t want to replace anybody’s mom.”
The site currently hosts 20 versions of Mickey Mouse, which has raised questions surrounding the future of AI and legal issues.
Shazeer, along with co-founder Daniel De Freitas met working at Google and decided to create the app in 2021. The idea was to create an open-ended system allowing people to mold their technology into what they wanted.
16 months after founding, the company raised $150 million from investors.
In May, a $10 per month subscription fee was rolled out called c.ai+ allowing users to skip waiting rooms, and access faster message generation.
“It’s actually benefitting everyone involved. It’s really just a baby step.” Shazeer said, also noting that paying users will get better service.
