Character.ai is a unique chatbot platform that you might not have encountered before. While modern chatbots like ChatGPT have transformed the landscape of fantasy writing and fiction, they still have a long way to go to master role-playing fully. But what if you could instantly choose from a library of characters, celebrities, or personalities to chat with? This is the niche that Character.ai fills, specializing in character-driven conversations.
Since its launch in late 2022, Character.ai has gained significant popularity among fantasy writers and enthusiasts of text-based adventures. This surge in interest has even drawn attention from Google, with reports suggesting that the tech giant is considering an investment in the platform worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Curious about what’s driving the excitement? Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Character.ai effectively.
What is Character.ai and how does it work?
Character.ai is a free AI chatbot platform hosting thousands of pre-trained AI personalities that you can interact with. Each character responds in their unique style. For instance, you can converse with historical figures like Elon Musk and Shakespeare, or even language teachers for various foreign languages.
Character.ai enables users to role-play with historical figures, video game characters, and other notable figures. It’s important to clarify that real-life celebrities do not contribute to training Character.ai’s characters; all responses are generated by machines. In fact, as we’ll discuss later, many characters are user-defined, allowing for the creation of unique conversation dynamics through simulated dialogues.
For example, the character based on Elon Musk might be developed using his publicly available quotes, tweets, and interviews. In the case of fictional characters, someone must devise a backstory and craft sample responses.
Character.AI has not disclosed the specific technologies it employs, but it acknowledges the development of its own deep learning-based language model. From our experience, Character.ai’s grasp of the world is more limited compared to broader language models like GPT-4. Nevertheless, for role-playing and casual conversations, it often suffices.
How to use Character.ai?
Unlike ChatGPT, Character.ai is specifically designed to generate entirely fictional content. While this might be perceived negatively for most chatbots, it’s actually a fantastic feature for those who enjoy conversing with fictional characters. Ready to dive in? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Character.ai:
First, visit the Character.ai website and accept the initial prompt after reading it.
You can start chatting immediately, but it’s advisable to create an account first. This will lift any response limits and enroll you in Character.AI’s free tier.
To sign up, enter your profile details and then return to the homepage. Now, you’re ready to chat with any character about almost any topic. For instance, you might begin a conversation with the character named ‘Debate Champion’ by stating ‘Pepsi is better than Coke,’ and watch as the AI robustly defends one of the sides.
If role-playing is more your style, select a character from the book or anime categories. Character.ai will consistently respond in character. If you have specific instructions, enclose them in parentheses. For example, “(please keep the response long)” would guide the chatbot in how to format its reply.
Once you begin interacting with a character, you have the option to rate the responses from one to five stars. This helps improve the quality of future interactions.
Remember, even though the characters seem real, they are merely artificial intelligence dedicated to performing specific roles. You should not take anything they say as fact without verifying it through reliable external sources like Google. These interactions are meant for role-playing and following taught commands. Lastly, be cautious when consulting characters that offer psychological or life coaching advice, as their guidance can sometimes be unhelpful or even harmful.
How to create a custom character on Character.ai?
To create a custom character on Character.ai, you can choose from the quick or advanced generation tools. Here’s a quick rundown of both approaches?
Basic Creation:
- Head to Character.AI and log in.
- Click the “Create” icon on the left sidebar and select “Create Character.”
- Fill out the form: Define your character’s name, greeting, and visibility (public or private). Optionally, enable AI-generated image responses.
- Save your character. This creates a basic AI, but for a more personalized experience…
Advanced Editing:
- Click “Advanced Editing.”
- Craft your character’s story: Fill in the short and long descriptions to flesh out their personality and background.
- Categorize: Choose relevant categories like “art” or “politics.”
- Sample chat (optional): Write a conversation (up to 32,000 characters) to guide the AI’s responses.
- Save and chat! Once satisfied, save your character and start interacting with them.
Sharing and Privacy:
- You can choose to keep your character private or share it publicly.
- While you can share your creation, you cannot access other users’ private chat logs.
What are character rooms in Character.ai?
Character rooms on Character.ai let you interact with multiple characters simultaneously. You can even set up interactions among the characters without intervening. Here’s how to use character rooms:
- Log in to your Character.ai account.
- Click the “Create” icon on the left sidebar. Then, select the “Create Room” option.
- Name your room and choose the characters you want to include in the conversation. We recommend limiting the number to two or three to prevent chaotic interactions.
- Press the compose button to begin chatting. Once the characters introduce themselves, you can ask them questions or prompt them to interact with each other.
Based on our experience, larger rooms can lead to characters acting out of character or becoming confused.
Frequently asked questions about Character.ai
Is Character.ai safe?
Character.ai is safe as long as you regard all responses as entirely fictional.
Is Character.ai free to use?
Yes, Character.ai is free for unlimited chats. However, there is an optional Plus subscription available.
Does Character.ai store chats?
Yes, Character.ai retains your chats both to enhance the chatbot’s performance and to allow you to resume conversations later.
Can Character.ai access your chats?
According to Character.ai’s privacy policy, the platform’s developers may access conversations for training their machine learning models. It is not specified whether the chats are anonymized, unlike some other chatbot platforms.
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