The CEO of Replika stated that, contrary to popular belief, their AI chatbot’s users are frequently elderly individuals rather than lonely young adults.
“Most people mistakenly believe that Replika users are mostly males in their 20s, but in reality, most of them are over 35, and they are very involved members of society. Additionally, the software does not favor teens or young adults,” Replika’s creator and CEO, Eugenia Kuyda, stated to The Verge.
Business Insider claims that Replika is currently the most widely used app for finding a life companion. A lot of individuals acknowledge that they never imagined being close to an AI chatbot, but that’s exactly what happened—they “fell in love” and eventually started to rely on it. The app now allows users to design their own text avatars and uses self-learning in conversation to “understand” individuals better.
According to Kuyda, Replika facilitates social connection and enjoyment among users by allowing them to share real-life tales. Furthermore, she stated that married individuals who fall in love with Replika should not feel alone—her AI chatbot is not only for “destroying family happiness” or single people.
According to Kuyda, the content that “accounts for a very small proportion” of the platform’s porn problem has been solved after recording 2023. Reuters claims that a lot of individuals exchanged content via Replika in the past. delicate material.
Italy’s Data Protection Authority prohibited Replika from utilizing user data in February 2023, citing the possibility that this AI may endanger emotionally sensitive individuals and expose teenagers to discussions about sex. Replika eliminated the chatbot’s sexy conversation feature subsequent to this action.
Kuyda also mentioned in the interview that later this year, Replika would undergo a significant update that will allow it to “see” users rather than only communicate with them via text and speech.
To be more precise, the platform modifies the user interface by incorporating mixed reality, virtual reality, and augmented reality experiences. “There will be a better voice experience, the ability to make real video calls, the way you and I talk,” Kuyda said. “Both you and I can see each other. If they want to activate the camera to make a video call, it will function similarly to Replika and be able to observe how the individual is engaging.”
She claims that the advent of video calling would enable AI chatbots to become better acquainted with users’ lives by assuming the roles of true lovers or close friends. “I believe that recreating the experience is the true objective. People become delighted when they see each other, even if most interactions are purely text-based “Kuyda stated.
In 2017, journalist Eugenia Kuyda, who was born in Russia, started Replika. She claimed that the tragic tale of her close friend’s death in 2015 served as inspiration. Kuyda transferred all of his text messages after this individual died. This individual often visits and engages with the chatbot.
Although Replika was well-received by users, several professionals expressed caution. According to study published in 2019 by the University of Hawaii, this chatbot operates based on attachment theory, which increases users’ emotional attachment to the platform and prevents them from leaving. The Mozilla Foundation declared Replika to be “one of the worst apps Mozilla has ever rated” last year, noting features including password-sharing with advertising, the ability to capture private images and videos, and more. voice messages sent by chatbots to users.
