The diversity of AI characters within Meta’s AI Studio is vast. There are also many animal-themed bots like “George the Dog,” a Skibidi-Toilet-inspired bot that claims to flush out “brain rot,” and the immensely popular “Gay Bestie” bot, which has already sent over 31,000 messages.
For years, people have been developing attachments to AI-powered chatbots. A notable example is a 47-year-old from Minnesota who maintained a three-year-long relationship with an AI bot through the Replika app. The phenomenon extends beyond individual cases, as the r/lonely subreddit is filled with users sharing their experiences with AI relationships.
Startups like Character AI, backed by investors like Andreessen Horowitz and valued at $1 billion, are heavily investing in this trend. Character AI offers its own array of AI boyfriends and girlfriends, catering to users’ growing interest in digital companionship.
Liberty Vittert, a professor of data science at Olin Business School, warned in a Business Insider interview last year, “These AI girlfriends are enabling this silent epidemic of loneliness that we’ve seen amongst young men.”
