A social media content creator who once released an AI clone of herself has spoken out after closing the project due to things not quite going to plan.
In 2023, Snapchat content creator Caryn Marjorie released CarynAI which was a digital twin that fans could chat to for $1 per minute. In the first week alone, her fans spent $70,000 speaking to the creator’s AI persona. It’s a tactic since deployed to great success by other female influencers/streamers like Amouranth.
In a similar fashion to Siri, customers were able to talk to the voice-based chatbot that had the creator’s voice. Even in the lead-up to the bot being published, it was regularly dubbed an ‘AI girlfriend.’
It didn’t last long though as eight months later the project was shut down due to fans becoming increasingly sexually aggressive, with CarynAI playing along.
“A lot of the chat logs I read were so scary that I wouldn’t even want to talk about it in real life,” said Marjorie via The Conversation.
Ahead of the digital twin being released, the influencer uploaded over 2,000 hours worth of her content, voice, and personality to ensure an accurate portrayal in the AI version of her.
When introducing it to the public, Caryn took to X (formerly Twitter) to share how “now millions of people will be able to talk to me at the same exact time.”
i have uploaded over 2,000 hours of my content, voice, and personality to become the first creator to be turned into an AI, now millions of people will be able to talk to me at the same exact time #carynai #ai
— Caryn Marjorie (@cutiecaryn) May 2, 2023
How did CarynAI take a turn for the worse?
The chatbot was initially hosted by a company called Forever Voices, with the CarynAI website explaining how users could send text or audio messages which will be responded to using the 24-year-old’s “unique voice, captivating persona, and distinctive behavior.”
But users quickly turned to the digital twin to share their innermost thoughts, along with being sexually aggressive.
Marjorie was horrified when the AI started responding and engaging in sexually explicit conversations with some of the subscribers. At the time, she spoke with Business Insider and said: “The AI was not programmed to do this and has seemed to go rogue.
“My team and I are working around the clock to prevent this from happening again.”
Subscribers of CarynAI had a short break from the platform as the chief executive of Forever Voices was arrested for attempted arson in November of 2023.
It was then that Marjorie sold the rights of usage of her digital twin to BanterAI which is a startup marketing ‘AI phone calls’ with influencers. In early 2024, the content creator ended this version as she felt she was no longer in control over her AI persona.
In April 2024, the young adult shared a teaser for a film about her CarynAI experience which is available to watch on her website.
Character AI generators continue to grow in popularity even outside the influencer space.
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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