Character.AI

Character.AI is a generative AI chatbot service that allows users to engage in conversations with customizable characters. Founded in November 2021 by former Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel de Freitas, the platform enables users to create "characters," craft their "personalities," set specific parameters, and then publish them to the community for others to chat with. Many characters are based on fictional media sources or celebrities, while others are original, some being made with certain goals in mind, such as assisting with creative writing or playing text-based adventure games. The beta version was made available to the public on September 16, 2022, and retired in September 2024, when it was replaced by the current website. In May 2023, a mobile app was released for iOS and Android, which received over 1.7 million downloads within a week. As of January 2024, the site had 3.5 million daily visitors, the vast majority of them aged 16 to 30. In 2024, Google hired Noam Shazeer, the CEO of Character.AI, and entered into a non-exclusive agreement to use Character.AI's technology. In March 2023, Character.AI raised $150 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, valuing the company at approximately $1 billion. As of April 2024, the company had 80 employees. The platform has faced scrutiny over safety concerns, including lawsuits related to user interactions and content moderation. In response, Character.AI has implemented features like "Stories" to offer a safer, engaging experience for users under 18, transforming interactions into guided, visual adventures. The company continues to evolve its offerings, balancing user engagement with safety measures.