The constant evolution of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry is definitely reshaping the way that humans interact with ‘the machines’. This also means that the traditional way of communicating between two people is also going through a transformative shift.
Engaging in conversations with AI is still a relatively novel concept for many, but it is also emerging as a remarkable development that the rest of humanity will soon find it hard to ignore. For instance, you might send a message and receive a reply from AI that is often indistinguishable from a real human’s response.
One such popular application that is facilitating conversations with artificial intelligence is Character.AI. So, now you may be wondering, is Character.AI a real person?
Nope, it’s all AI! We’ll explain in detail below.
Introducing Character.AI
Character.AI (also called c.ai) is basically an AI chatbot that was built using a neural network large language model (LLM). This system enables users to engage in lifelike conversations with their favorite characters including Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Batman, and more. Additionally, users can create entirely new characters to share with others, play games, and more..
c.ai was Initially introduced in September 2022 through its website. But in May of this 2023, Character.AI expanded its reach with the launch of both iOS and Android apps, while also offering users an optional paid subscription service, known as Character.AI Plus (or c.ai+). We discuss c.ai+ here.
Is Character.AI a Real Person?
No, Character.AI is entirely programmatic, there is no human involved in the back end of the chat bot.
Character.AI provides users the ability to initiate conversations with already-generated characters or make new ones with specific personality traits that they can share with others means that the AI is not a real human entity. Rather, it’s a purpose-built AI program that has been designed to emulate human characteristics in its responses.
This is why the system has a disclaimer at the top of each chat stating “Remember: Everything Characters say is made up!”
All the statements that originate from the characters within the Character.AI multiverse are generated by the AI itself, without any human input.
So Then Who Is The Character In Character.AI?
Character.AI is an AI-driven chatbot that utilizes a large language model to generate text responses. The service allows users to create customizable characters with fictional, historical, and celebrity personas that can be used to engage in dialogues.
There are many characters to choose from, and it can be very fun to chat with celebrities or imaginative creations.
What sets Character.AI apart from other AI chatbots like the most well known, ChatGPT, is that its output is remarkably human-like, plus it has the capability of conversing with multiple bots simultaneously, which can give users diverse viewpoints.
The brainchild of former Google AI developers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, Character AI made its debut in beta form in September 2022, swiftly garnering popularity and establishing itself as one of the leading AI chatbots, alongside ChatGPT.
Character.AI’s LLM was built to predict the words that might follow in a sentence, in the same way an text message autocomplete works… just much more powerful. The result is an immensely entertaining and lifelike AI that convincingly simulates interactions with real individuals. This sets Character.AI apart as a chatbot, and gives users the opportunity to gain unique perspectives.
So, whether it’s ‘chatting’ with Elon Musk, William Shakespeare, Iron Man, Homer Simpson, or Taylor Swift, Character.AI offers a novel and engaging way to converse with a diverse cast of characters.
Why Does Character.AI Appear So Authentic?
The realism behind the characters in Character.AI is a product of its advanced artificial intelligence technologies, which have been meticulously crafted in order to mimic both human conversation and behavior.
This is because Character.AI relies heavily on a neural language model to work, which is capable of understanding an extensive array of texts, and then formulating appropriate responses whenever it’s prompted to in a chat.
That’s why the responses that you receive from Character.AI exhibit a human-like quality like no other, which can often lead users into believing that they’re actually conversing with a real person. However, you should always remember that you are, in fact, engaging with an AI model.
The responses that are generated by its AI algorithms. These algorithms sometimes have a way of deviating from the character’s personality, are entirely fabricated, and should only serve as a source of entertainment, creative writing, or text-based gaming.
On occasion, the interactions that users have with their characters can yield responses that are either hurtful, offensive, or even factually inaccurate (see our article here for more details).
In order to address these situations, users do have the option to rate the responses they receive, which will impact both the character and the AI’s behavioral selection.
Doing so is designed to enhance future responses.
Can Character.AI Access Your Conversations?
Some users of Character.AI have expressed concern about their conversations being seen by the creators and developers. However, you can lay these worries to rest, because they don’t have access to the conversations you have with the AI characters.
In addition, users are able to configure privacy settings for each of the characters that they create, which can make them either private (so they’ll only be visible to the user) or public (meaning that they’ll be visible to everyone using the platform).
If you choose to make your Character.AI characters public however, you should always exercise caution when using the service, because as with any AI-driven application, it’s crucial to remember that you are not interacting with a genuine human being, and there’s always the risk that hackers can get hold of any information that you share in your conversations.
Because Character.AI is still in beta, it continues to undergo substantial development guided by users’ feedback. Because of this, use this AI service with caution. Excessive immersion in the application can lead to misunderstandings, especially since you won’t be talking to a human.
Also, keep in mind that the characters you converse with are actually created by humans mimicing others, and so their responses may not consistently align with their established personalities.
In order to provide feedback or report any other issues, users can reach out to the Character.AI support team by contacting them via Reddit, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Final Thoughts
When you’re engaging with Character.AI (or any other AI-driven application for that matter), you’re not interacting with a human. Yet the responses you get, and conversations you have, may closely mimic interaction with a real person.
That’s what makes them so compelling!
Ultimately, while Character.AI isn’t a real person, it does offer exciting possibilities for engaging with AI-driven characters. But you should navigate these opportunities by being alert enough to ensure that your online interactions are always safe.
