Character.AI, the AI chatbot startup backed by a16z and founded by former Google AI researchers, is unveiling an exciting new feature for its subscribers. This innovative chatbot platform, which allows users to customize their own AI companions with unique personalities, is now introducing group chat functionality. With this new feature, users can engage in conversations with multiple AI characters simultaneously, creating a dynamic and interactive social experience.
Key Takeaway
Character.AI, an AI chatbot startup, has introduced group chat functionality, allowing users to engage in conversations with multiple AI characters simultaneously. This feature provides a unique social experience, enabling users to collaborate, exchange ideas, and connect with AI companions in real time.
The Character Group Chat Experience
The new feature, known as Character Group Chat, enables users to create group chats exclusively with AI characters or with a combination of human users and AI companions. The primary objective is to forge social connections, foster collaboration, and facilitate real-time idea sharing within a chat environment enriched by the presence of AI companions.
Imagine collaborating with a group of AI scientists and intellectuals, such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, and Stephen Hawking. Alternatively, you could create a group chat with mythological gods like Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. The possibilities are endless, allowing users to explore various scenarios and engage in stimulating conversations.
While the inclusion of AI chatbots in group chats is not exclusive to Character.AI, it proves to be a promising trend. Snapchat’s My AI chatbot, for instance, can be added to group chats using the command “@myai.” Meta, on the other hand, recently introduced an array of AI-powered bots across its apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram’s DMs. These bots are inspired by celebrities like Mr. Beast, Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, Charli D’Amelio, and Snoop Dog. This development has posed a potential challenge to Character.AI, which secured an impressive $150 million in Series A funding earlier this year for its groundbreaking AI companion concepts.
Subscription and Availability
Character.AI’s group chat feature will not be available for free. Initially, it will be exclusively accessible to c.ai+ subscribers, allowing the company to gather valuable feedback and enhance the user experience. The c.ai+ subscription plan, priced at $9.99 per month, offers numerous benefits, including the ability to skip waiting rooms, faster message generation, and exclusive access to a community channel for support and feedback. Eventually, the group chat feature will be extended to the general public.
At launch, the Character Group Chat is only available on the Character.AI mobile app for iOS and Android. However, the company plans to expand its availability to the web in the near future.
Embracing the Character.AI Experience
Character.AI’s mobile app garnered over half a million installations within its first six days and is rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S. Market intelligence data from data.ai reveals that the app boasts nearly 30 million monthly active users worldwide, with approximately 7 million in the U.S. Furthermore, the app has generated an estimated lifetime gross in-app purchase revenue of $1.3 million. Although c.ai+ is primarily sold on the web, this figure provides only a glimpse of the company’s overall revenue.
