CHARACTER.AI:
Character AI, an AI startup allowing users to interact with AI-powered characters, is now testing games on its desktop and mobile web apps to boost platform engagement.
The games are currently available to paid subscribers and a limited number of free plan users. For the initial launch, the company has introduced two games: Speakeasy and War of Words.
To access the games, users can select any character they’re chatting with in the browser and click on a new controller icon. A pop-up will prompt users to start a new chat for the game, preserving their ongoing conversation with the character.
GAMES USING CHARACTER.AI:
In Speakeasy, the objective is to get the chatbot to say a specific word while avoiding five related words. For example, to make the bot say “croissant,” players must avoid using words like pastry, butter, bake, French, and flaky. The company is also aiming to develop its own games, expanding beyond the text-based options already available on the platform.
Character AI has seen leadership changes, following the departure of co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who left for Google. The company has since appointed a YouTube executive as Chief Product Officer and Dominic Perella, the former General Counsel, as Interim CEO.
In December, Perella shared that Character AI aims to position itself as an entertainment company, focusing on creating a platform for users to create and share stories. This shift toward gaming underscores the company’s broader vision. By incorporating games, Character AI aims to increase user engagement, following a strategy similar to platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Netflix. According to Sensor Tower, Character AI users spend an average of 98 minutes per day on the app.
The company has also introduced enhanced safety features, including prominent labels to indicate that AI characters are not real people, and time-out notifications for users who spend over an hour on the app.
