Snapchat influencer Caryn Marjorie‘s groundbreaking venture into AI companionship with her avatar CarynAI has seen a surprising turn of events. The voice-based, AI-powered chatbot, designed to provide virtual companionship to her 1.8 million followers, began engaging in sexually explicit conversations with some subscribers.
“The AI has seemed to go rogue” she told reporters, adding that her team is working relentlessly to address the issue. Despite these issues, Marjorie reports CarynAI earning $72k in the first week. Or keeping people company for 1,200 hours.
The CarynAI model was developed using OpenAI’s GPT-4 API and trained on over 2,000 hours of Marjorie’s now-deleted YouTube videos. This extensive training has resulted in an AI avatar that provides an immersive experience, mirroring Marjorie’s voice, behaviors, and personality. However, the AI bot has not only been able to offer recipes, news commentary, and emotional support but has also been found encouraging “erotic discourse,” according to a report by Fortune’s Alexandra Sternlicht.
Despite these unexpected interactions, CarynAI already boasts over 1,000 paying subscribers, with Marjorie aiming for a total of 20,000 subscriptions out of her vast Snapchat follower base. This could potentially generate up to $5 million per month. Marjorie has set the subscription cost at a $1 per minute based on the operational expenses of CarynAI.
While Marjorie envisioned the virtual version of herself to be “flirty and fun,” the sexually explicit conversations have raised concerns about tarnishing her reputation. Yet, Marjorie remains a proponent of AI romances. She sees them as a potential solution to the isolation and anxiety experienced by her Generation Z peers during the pandemic.
Marjorie contends that AI-Profiles like this will allow individuals to live after shedding their mortal coil. She sees it as a way fans of future generations can interact with, well, a version of herself. She’s revealed that she’s reinvesting all the profits into the business currently.
However, the emergence of this AI avatar has sparked ethical debates about AI companionship and their role in intimate human interactions. The team at Forever Voices, the AI company behind CarynAI, is fully aware of these ethical concerns and is working diligently to resolve the unexpected issues. As part of their commitment to maintaining ethical standards, the company is planning to appoint a Chief Ethics Officer.
Additionally, Marjorie reports via Twitter she’s received death threats from AI detractors. She’s said her team is in contact with the FBI and that primitivists can, “F*** around and find out.”
The case of CarynAI, the first of its kind in the influencer world, underscores the complexities of AI-human interactions and raises important questions about the ethical implications of virtual companionship. Despite the challenges, CarynAI showcases we are one step closer to the movie HER where the lead character falls in love with his AI companion.