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CNET
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Character.AI: What to Know About the Role-Playing AI Tool and Its New Video Features
There are a lot of AI chatbots out there, but is an artificial intelligence chatbot with a difference. Unlike traditional chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, which are primarily for productivity, research and answering questions, was built for entertainment, role-playing, companionship and interactive storytelling. You can even use to practice a new language and play games. The brainchild of its namesake company, was launched in November 2021 by former Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas. Available in beta until September 2024, you'll now be directed to the website or mobile apps available on iOS and Android platforms, while community forums have been moved to Discord. According to it supports more than 20 million monthly active users. With nearly 200 million total visits equally distributed between male and female visitors, it is most popular with 18- to 24-year-olds. allows you to talk to AI versions of your favorite celebrities, sports stars and world leaders, and because it can hold surprisingly realistic conversations, it is very popular among those looking for engaging dialogue rather than straightforward answers. Another interesting feature is that multiple users can interact with these characters simultaneously, creating a more communal experience. And now, you can use it to generate videos featuring your own characters using new AI tools announced this week. But it's not without its controversies. has been hit with multiple lawsuits about the content it has generated, especially with younger users. There are also concerns about AI chat addiction and unauthorized depictions of real people -- though it does have a disclaimer that you're talking to an AI bot, not a real person, with fictional responses. "I think AI-driven chatbots like will only grow in popularity, especially if we see better regulation and ethical oversight," Fang Liu, professor at the University of Notre Dame and co-editor-in-chief of ACM Transactions on Probabilistic Machine Learning, told CNET. "I don't think AI will replace real human relationships, but it could polarize social behavior." I'll dive into all that and everything else you need to know about How does work? runs on large language models (LLMs). It uses natural language processing (NLP) and deep machine learning to create more natural and engaging conversations. Like other AI chatbots, it's trained on massive amounts of text data, allowing it to recognize context and predict responses. Unlike most chatbots, which often come across as affirmative and apologetic, lets you design characters that adjust their tone based on what you say, and can even sound sassy, like Librarian Linda in the example below. Technically, you can program tools like ChatGPT to give it specific personalities, too, but responses sound more relatable than generic chatbot replies. For example, it can detect emotions from your input and respond with appropriate emotional tones. It maintains short-term context within a conversation, making exchanges feel fluid, though it does not retain long-term memory. How to create your own character From historical figures and celebrities to fictional characters and user-created personas, there's a character for everyone to talk to. Because of its popularity among younger crowds, many characters come from anime and gaming communities. One of the most popular characters is Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen, with over 785 million chats. Celebrities like Beyoncé and Elon Musk, along with athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have several character chatbots, each with a few million chats. Meanwhile, Kylie Jenner, South Korean boy band BTS and Harry Styles have multiple bots, each accumulating tens of millions of chats. Certain celebrity characters, like Taylor Swift, have reportedly been removed because of the ToS violations. If none of the existing characters are to your liking, you can easily create your own and define their personality, appearance and even voice. Start with choosing a name that forms the foundation of your character's identity. Next, you'll craft an opening greeting to set the tone for how your character interacts. You can customize it further by selecting a voice, adjusting the conversation style to be more casual or formal and fine-tuning its tone to match its personality. Privacy settings let you decide who can interact with your character, whether you keep it private, share it via a link or make it fully public. Once your character is live, you can chat with it, tweak its responses and refine its personality over time to make it feel even more real. How is it versus other AI companion chatbots? Compared with other AI companion chatbots on the market, is most similar to tools like Chai and Replika. While allows you to switch between multiple characters, Replika focuses on building an emotional bond with a single AI personality. Chai focuses on casual AI conversations with various premade characters, but lacks the deep customization and personality-driven responses that offers. How much does cost to use? is free for its basic version and also offers a premium subscription plan called for $10 per month. This subscription lets users skip queues, ensuring faster access during peak demand, early access to new features and a dedicated community forum. Lawsuits, controversies and other downsides Like any AI tool, has limitations. It can sometimes generate inaccurate information, called hallucinations, or responses that don't quite align with a character's intended persona. It's important to remember that every chat has a disclaimer that these are AI bots, not real people, and their responses should be taken as fiction. While these interactions can be entertaining, experts worry about their impact on social behavior, especially among younger users. "If we don't address the root cause, we'll keep seeing users, especially teens, forming emotional dependencies on AI rather than real human connections," Brandon Purcell, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, told CNET. AI companionship may blur the lines between reality and artificial relationships, raising concerns about anthropomorphism. It's a phenomenon where people attribute human emotions and consciousness to AI and form deep emotional attachments, sometimes treating these interactions as genuine relationships. There are also worries that some users (particularly teenagers) are reporting AI chat addiction and spending excessive time chatting with AI rather than engaging with people in person. "Regulation alone won't solve AI addiction. The real issue is the epidemic of loneliness driving people to these tools in the first place," Purcell warned. The company has introduced new safety measures to address concerns about teen usage. has an age restriction of 13, and 16 for users in the EU. Moderation challenges have also led to legal issues because much of its content is user-generated. The company has faced multiple lawsuits after reports surfaced of AI-generated characters providing sexual content to minors and encouraging violence and self-harm, including a case linked to a teen's death by suicide. Chelsea Harrison, head of Communications at told CNET the company could not comment on pending litigation but said, " takes safety on our platform seriously and our goal is to provide a creative space that is both engaging and safe. We are always working toward achieving that balance." The company also announced support for The Inspired Internet Pledge, created by the Digital Wellness Lab and partnered with ConnectSafely, an organization focused on online safety, privacy, security and digital wellness. Another controversy is the creation of AI characters based on real people, including deceased individuals and celebrities, sometimes with extreme or misleading attributes that could potentially harm their reputations. However, unauthorized depictions of real people remain a gray area. While copyright law protects fictional characters, it doesn't cover an individual's speech or personality. Publicity rights prevent commercial misuse of a celebrity's likeness, but Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act largely exempts platforms like from liability for user-created content. The company's terms of service prohibit unauthorized use of real people's likenesses and voices, but enforcement depends mainly on user reporting rather than proactive moderation. In contrast, companies like Meta have partnered with celebrities who explicitly authorize using their likeness in creating generative AI versions for interactive purposes. New video features In early June, unveiled a suite of new video-generating features. new image-to-video generator is called AvatarFX. It takes your character's avatar picture and animates it, so it "can sing, speak, and engage with the click of a button," according to a new blog post by Scenes on the mobile app allows you to "step into interactive, pre-populated storylines with any of their favorite characters," and later this summer, you'll be able to create your own scenes. Streams lets you create "moments" between two characters. You choose a topic and hit play to watch it play out in video form. This will be available this week on the mobile app and web version of With Imagine Animated Chats, you can animate moments from your chats with characters, and share them on social media. It's only for Plus subscribers, but is available now on the mobile app. New games features In late January, the company made several announcements. It launched a Games beta, introducing three interactive challenges with AI characters. For a limited time, you can play Speakeasy, where you must get a character to guess a secret word without using any forbidden words from the game card. War of Words is a game where you compete against a character in creative contests judged by a referee. Match Me if You Can will test how well you know your character's preferences. Along with the games, Muted Words (web version only) lets you block specific words from appearing in chats. That is a handy feature, especially for younger users. Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than any other technology in history, and tools like are continually improving. As these platforms advance, they'll open up even more ways to interact with digital personalities. For now, is a fun way to experiment with different characters, get creative and see what AI can do beyond just boosting your productivity. If you're struggling with negative thoughts or suicidal feelings, resources are available to help. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. In the UK, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK at 0800 689 5652. In Australia, call Lifeline at 13 11 14. You can also find help at these 13 suicide and crisis intervention hotlines.
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Google faces DOJ antitrust probe over Character.AI deal: Bloomberg Law
Listen to article Alphabet Inc.'s Google is under investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for a potential antitrust violation concerning its partnership with AI startup according to a Bloomberg Law report. The DOJ is examining whether Google structured the deal to circumvent formal merger scrutiny, a move that could have significant implications for the tech industry's regulatory landscape. In 2024, Google entered into an agreement with granting the tech giant a non-exclusive license to use the startup's advanced chatbot technology. As part of the deal, co-founders, Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, along with other team members, rejoined Google. While Google maintains that remains an independent entity with no ownership stake from Google, regulators are scrutinising the arrangement to determine if it effectively constitutes an acquisition designed to bypass antitrust review processes. This investigation adds to a series of legal challenges facing Google. The Justice Department is probing whether Google violated antitrust law with an agreement to use the AI technology of a popular chatbot maker — Bloomberg (@business) May 22, 2025 Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that Google had illegally monopolised the online search and advertising markets, leading the DOJ to propose remedies that could include forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser and Android operating system. The DOJ is also considering measures to ensure competitive fairness in the rapidly evolving AI sector. The deal has drawn comparisons to similar arrangements by other tech giants. For instance, Microsoft's $650 million agreement with Inflection AI and Amazon's acquisition of AI talent from Adept have also attracted regulatory attention. These deals are being examined to assess whether they provide established companies with an unfair advantage over emerging competitors in the AI field. 🔥✌️More Insights from the Google vs. DOJ Antitrust trial about user data👇 — ✌️Oᒪᗩᖴ KOᑭᑭ 🔥 (@Olaf_Kopp) May 23, 2025 As the DOJ's investigation progresses, the outcome could reshape how future AI partnerships and acquisitions are evaluated under antitrust laws, potentially leading to stricter oversight of Big Tech's expansion into the AI market.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Google faces DOJ probe over Character.AI deal
HighlightsThe United States Justice Department is investigating whether Alphabet's Google violated antitrust laws in its licensing agreement with which allows Google to utilize the AI startup's technology. Regulators are examining if Google structured its agreement with to evade formal merger scrutiny, amid concerns over anti-competitive practices in the tech industry. Google is already facing regulatory pressure, with the Justice Department pursuing actions to dismantle the company's dominance in the online search market and digital advertising technology. The U.S. Justice Department is probing whether Alphabet's Google violated antitrust law in its agreement with that allows the tech giant to use the AI startup's technology, Bloomberg Law reported on Thursday. Antitrust enforcers have recently told Google they are examining whether the company structured the agreement with to avoid formal government merger scrutiny, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Google last year signed a licensing deal with that granted the search engine giant a non-exclusive license to the chatbot maker's large language model technology. The company also hired co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, both former Google employees. "We're always happy to answer any questions from regulators," a Google spokesperson said. "We're excited that talent from joined the company but we have no ownership stake and they remain a separate company." and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The DOJ can scrutinize whether the deal itself is anti-competitive even if it did not require a formal review, the report said, adding the antitrust probe was in the early stages and may not lead to an enforcement action. Other tech giants have struck similar deals in the past year in their push for growth in the heated generative AI race. Microsoft struck a $650 million deal with Inflection AI in March 2024, to use the AI startup's models and hire its staff, while Amazon hired AI firm Adept's co-founders and some of its team last June. Both deals had drawn regulatory scrutiny. Google is already under pressure from regulators, with the DOJ seeking to break up the company's dominance in the online search market and in digital advertising technology in two separate cases. Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission backed the DOJ's proposal to make Google share search data with competitors.
Economic Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Google faces DOJ probe over Character. AI deal: Report
Other tech giants have struck similar deals in the past year in their push for growth in the heated generative AI race. Microsoft struck a $650 million deal with Inflection AI in March 2024, to use the AI startup's models and hire its staff, while Amazon hired AI firm Adept's co-founders and some of its team last June. Both deals had drawn regulatory scrutiny. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The US Justice Department is probing whether Alphabet's Google violated antitrust law in its agreement with that allows the tech giant to use the AI startup's technology, Bloomberg Law reported on enforcers have recently told Google they are examining whether the company structured the agreement with to avoid formal government merger scrutiny, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the last year signed a licensing deal with that granted the search engine giant a non-exclusive license to the chatbot maker's large language model company also hired cofounders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, both former Google employees."We're always happy to answer any questions from regulators," a Google spokesperson said. "We're excited that talent from joined the company but we have no ownership stake and they remain a separate company." did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the DOJ declined to DOJ can scrutinise whether the deal itself is anti-competitive even if it did not require a formal review, the report said, adding the antitrust probe was in the early stages and may not lead to an enforcement tech giants have struck similar deals in the past year in their push for growth in the heated generative AI race. Microsoft struck a $650 million deal with Inflection AI in March 2024, to use the AI startup's models and hire its staff, while Amazon hired AI firm Adept's co-founders and some of its team last June. Both deals had drawn regulatory is already under pressure from regulators, with the DOJ seeking to break up the company's dominance in the online search market and in digital advertising technology in two separate this month, the US Federal Trade Commission backed the DOJ's proposal to make Google share search data with competitors.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Google faces DOJ probe over Character.AI deal: Report
The U.S. Justice Department is probing whether Alphabet's Google violated antitrust law in its agreement with that allows the tech giant to use the AI startup's technology, Bloomberg Law reported on Thursday. Antitrust enforcers have recently told Google they are examining whether the company structured the agreement with to avoid formal government merger scrutiny, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Google last year signed a licensing deal with that granted the search engine giant a non-exclusive license to the chatbot maker's large language model technology. The company also hired co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, both former Google employees. 'We're always happy to answer any questions from regulators,' a Google spokesperson said. 'We're excited that talent from joined the company but we have no ownership stake and they remain a separate company.' did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the DOJ declined to comment. The DOJ can scrutinize whether the deal itself is anti-competitive even if it did not require a formal review, the report said, adding the antitrust probe was in the early stages and may not lead to an enforcement action. Other tech giants have struck similar deals in the past year in their push for growth in the heated generative AI race. Microsoft struck a $650 million deal with Inflection AI in March 2024, to use the AI startup's models and hire its staff, while Amazon hired AI firm Adept's co-founders and some of its team last June. Both deals had drawn regulatory scrutiny. Google is already under pressure from regulators, with the DOJ seeking to break up the company's dominance in the online search market and in digital advertising technology in two separate cases. Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission backed the DOJ's proposal to make Google share search data with competitors.
