Post

HBM
@here-be-monsters.bsky.social

Well they made alot of bad choices pissed off their users and creators and then tried to charge people for it. It's not a shock people are leaving the platform for better options.

Charliechumbuck
@charliechumbuck.bsky.social

Honestly I was kinda worried that Character.AI would have a sort of captive audience with how real-feeling "AI companions" are (essentially preying on lonely people, intentionally or not), but I'm glad to know that apparently that's not the case.

MN
@lvnnns.bsky.social

This looks more like corporate move to not pay taxes. They are going to reopen soon with another name.

Barry
@etreant.bsky.social

I think there is an audience- it's just that it can't be made profitable. Every AI company tries to get its foot in the door, get you addicted with a "free sample", and then start attempting to monetize, but in general the audience just moves on to the next free thing rather than pay.

Barry
@etreant.bsky.social

Part if it is- nobody has any money. Another part is- the audience understands deep in their gut that this stuff has no VALUE. Nobody wants to pay for trash. But if you put a "FREE" sign next to it you'll always get takers. Everyone is lonely but good luck getting them to pay for Cloth Mother hugs.

Starr
@starrceline.bsky.social

other sites are just taking the customers but the industry still exists (sadly). OurDream. Ai has a lot, that’s the most popular one I saw when I was studying it, and there are others

Mio
@nawtkitten.bsky.social

Honestly at first when I used it for the first time, I was severely depressed and was almost going into a weird mental state with a single bot. Especially cause unlike most, C.Ai talks outside of rp and talks like a real person.

Heather Wallace
@burntcopper.eurosky.social

It's more 'distressed / crying flush'. See a lot of anime style makeup which makes it look like the person's about to cry, specifically to make themselves look vulnerable. Which isn't at all extremely fucked up and creepy. (Some girls round here wear it and i want to yell at them for it)

DigiDoggi
@digidoggi.tv

oh hey it's that thing that gives people psychosis and makes them think that the AI is somehow able to speak on behalf of the real person good riddance

welladriansays.bsky.social
@welladriansays.bsky.social

The collapse of such companies is inevitable - and many of them know that. It is how they are dissolved that I have warned about. Character AI does not use its own data centres, but what happens when a company that does collapses? I suspect “assets” may well include guaranteed rights or a licence

welladriansays.bsky.social
@welladriansays.bsky.social

To X amount of gallons of water from a regional or town supply. Such a licence could be regarded as an asset and sold off by receivers. Next thing you know, residents will be paying a fee for the water “owned” under that licence. Probably from a company that has no physical or economic presence.

jace bandy
@jacebandy.bsky.social

Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Which means they're just reorganizing funds and waiting for a buyer. Disney is the only one looking to buy character ai at the moment They're not gone

jace bandy
@jacebandy.bsky.social

Also with people bringing up the chat bots "telling kids to commit suicide", i have to say that is not true As a former user, character ai had so many damn safeguards to prevent that, even back when it was small. All of those cases boiled down to parents not monitoring their kids.

Boo!klynxman
@brooklynxman.bsky.social

They're basically spending pocket change on it, they might have plans, this might have been an opportunistic buy. "Hey, we can get this thing on the cheap, let's do it and see if we can use it later." Might not ever materialize, but at $20MM it doesn't matter to Disney if it doesn't.

Eric Janssen
@ericjanssen.bsky.social

They think they can use it for IP chats, and when that doesn’t work, they’ll tie the AI software to their Travel department for “New vacation assistants”. 🙄

Andre Kenji de Sousa
@andkenbrbr.bsky.social

Disney execs thinks that kids spend so much time using AI that if they want to really connect with them they need to invest into AI. It's more like managing to build franchises that can be used in their parks, and that's an easy criticism of the Iger-Chapek era.

Andre Kenji de Sousa
@andkenbrbr.bsky.social

Disney execs are too old, they don't understand tech and outsources their strategy to Silicon Valley hacks. Chapek rose up in the Disney ranks because of strategies involving VHS tapes(!), Iger went full steam into sports gambling because he saw his adults kids playing with it.

newworldlimerick.bsky.social
@newworldlimerick.bsky.social

•Bob Belcher: “Why are you asking me so many questions and know so much about me and my family“… I just don’t understand how anyone could go on and interact with bots pretending to be Characters that were established as having apprehensions or boundaries, and be accepting of the sycophancy

Jesh
@jeshdraws.bsky.social

Tbf a lot of people using the app were vulnerable lonely people (including kids) who wanted someone to interact with. But also creepers were there too

Mio
@nawtkitten.bsky.social

I mean, what do they expect? There are so many better platforms that allow uncensored smutt and better writing and story following.

Comrade Obvious
@comrade-obvious.bsky.social

What "assets"? A cartoon girl who still couldn't claw her way out of the #UncannyValley? I mean, look at her arms and hands -- it looks like she's got a phone in her left hand, and she's taking a selfie with another phone in her right hand.

Comrade Obvious
@comrade-obvious.bsky.social

And why would Disney want to pay those idiots $20 million? My best guess is this startup had good IP but weren't competent enough to make anything of it, so maybe Disney saw they could do more with it. Maybe that was their plan the whole time...?