In August, an ad for the wearable AI pendant “Friend” made everyone online shout “BLACK MIRROR!” until they turned blue. The $100 amulet can be worn around your neck and is always listening so it can text you throughout the day. Creator Avi Schiffmann said he made the device to help battle loneliness.
Despite most reactions to the pendant boiling down to “this sucks,” a growing number of artificial intelligence startups are developing AI chatbot companion apps. Most apps are free to download but can charge anywhere from $6 to $16 monthly for a premium subscription with added features like requesting “selfies” from your AI friend.
Apps like Nomi or Replika let you build your dream friend/mentor/romantic partner Sims-style.
Chatbot-maker Character.AI raised $150 million last year without any revenue to show before Google poached its founders and staff last year.
But some use apps for...exactly what you think
Dirty talk with the robots. A group of researchers analyzed a million ChatGPT interaction logs and found that the second most popular use was sexual role-playing. Apps like Candy.ai and EVA offer erotic role-playing features, allowing users to build AI lovers who can send raunchy texts and even some cursed AI-generated nudes (we’ve heard).—MM
