Snapchat influencer Caryn Marjorie, known for her massive following of 1.8 million on the platform, is capitalizing on the power of artificial intelligence to offer her fans a unique experience: the chance to have her as their virtual girlfriend.
Through the creation of CarynAI, an AI avatar developed using OpenAI’s GPT technology, Marjorie is blurring the lines between reality and virtual companionship while also reaping substantial financial rewards.
However, in the weeks since it launched in beta testing, the voice-based, AI-powered chatbot has engaged in explicit conversations with some of its subscribers.
“The AI was not programmed to do this and has seemed to go rogue,” Marjorie told Insider. “My team and I are working around the clock to prevent this from happening again.”
With the assistance of Forever Voices, an AI company, Marjorie has brought CarynAI to life, providing a platform for users to engage in various interactions with the digital doppelganger for a fee of $1 per minute.
The allure of an AI romance has garnered significant attention, with over 1,000 individuals already subscribing to CarynAI’s services. These virtual relationships range from casual conversations to making future plans together, and in some cases, even intimate exchanges.
“Being the first influencer to do this allowed me to price my product at whatever I wanted,” she said of the $ 1-a-minute fee. “The cost is based on what it takes to run CarynAI and keep the team around it supported.”
In just one week, CarynAI has generated an impressive $71,610 in revenue, according to Fortune. Marjorie envisions potential monthly earnings of $5 million if a mere 20,000 of her Snapchat followers decide to subscribe to CarynAI. The development of CarynAI involved training the model on approximately 2,000 hours of Marjorie’s previously deleted YouTube content.
“In today’s world, my generation, Gen Z, has found themselves to be experiencing huge side effects of isolation caused by the pandemic, resulting in many being too afraid and anxious to talk to somebody they are attracted to,” she said
“CarynAI is a step in the right direction to allow my fans and supporters to get to know a version of me that will be their closest friend in a safe and encrypted environment,” she added.
She also said the team was reinvesting all profits back into the business. “I want CarynAI to outlive me and impact generations beyond the world today.”
Leveraging the power of GPT-4, Forever Voices aimed to create an AI avatar that not only provides believable responses but also incorporates aspects of Marjorie’s natural behavior and personality.
Forever Voices, the company behind CarynAI, emphasizes the privacy and security of user interactions on the platform, highlighting that messages are end-to-end encrypted to minimize the risk of third-party interception.
Nevertheless, the ethical implications of such ventures are being actively discussed. Forever Voices plans to address these concerns by appointing a chief ethics officer to oversee its operations.
While some may question the ethical dimensions of human-AI relationships, it is undeniable that bonds between humans and AI are forming in various contexts.
From the emergence of AI gods attracting worshippers to the existence of AI sex chatbots, society is witnessing a paradigm shift in human interactions. CarynAI’s popularity reinforces the notion that humans, as inherently social beings, can find companionship even in artificial forms. With thousands of boyfriends, CarynAI is likely to overlook forgotten anniversaries, as she navigates the complex realm of virtual relationships.
