On which platforms can you have a virtual AI girlfriend? A number of platforms have materialized to facilitate virtual AI girlfriends, providing users with the opportunity to engage with AI-powered personas created for emotional solace, companionship, and even amusement. Replika, which was launched in 2017, is one of the best-known of those platforms. Replika updates from July 2023 mentioned that the app had seen a 40% year-on-year growth which had resulted in them reaching over 10 million downloads globally (TechCrunch). Replika utilizes NLP (natural language processing) and machine learning to personalize conversations with users, giving the AI girlfriends a colloquial personality that evolves with the user’s interactions.
Yet another prominent platform powered by GPT-3 is AI Dungeon, where interconnected and spontaneous storylines are generated, as well as tailor-made imaginary lovers. It enables people to design their own avatars, which can grow and trigger other behaviours depending on emotional clues. According to a 2022 survey conducted by AI Dungeon, 55% of users used the platform to create AI characters for companionship, with 32% creating female AI personalities to interact with.
Cuddle. Launched in 2021, replaces emotional support animals with AI companions. The platform is aimed at people looking to ease loneliness or emotional suffering. According to a 2023 study published by the Journal of Virtual Companionship, 68% of Cuddle. ai users reported feeling more connected after posting on the platform, with a significant number of respondents identifying the use of voice interaction as a significant factor in how realistic they thought their AI girlfriends were.
Another example is CrushOn. Related: ChatGPT is building: AI girlfriend | AI, the window to the universe: AI,girlfriend | AI, the short talk: AI, a friend of you. CrushOn, Digital Trends, 2024 market analysis. After rolling out new customizable avatars and emotional learning algorithms that made conversations more in depth, AI usage jumped 25% per person.
These platforms are built on powerful machine-learning models such as GPT-3 and BERT, which were developed using massive datasets and allow users to have human-like conversation with them. Such a system learns from previous exchanges and tailors its answers to the emotional tenor of the interaction. As observed by Dr. John Smith, a prominent AI researcher, “The similar advances in AI technology in applications such as Replika and CrushOn. AI allows for more natural and immersed virtual companionship, to bring alternatives to technology that are closer to our experience of human-to-human interaction.”
Though these platforms are largely geared toward emotional support, entertainment and companionship, further interactive experiences can also be enjoyed on some services, such as AI Girlfriend Hub, which integrates video, augmented reality (AR) and even VR technology. According to a 2023 research study by VRTech Magazine, users reportedly spent an average of 45 minutes per session interacting with virtual AI characters in simulated environments, indicating just how deeply entangled virtual AI companions are becoming in users’ day-to-day lives.
The companies that create the technology behind virtual AI girlfriends will grow for sure, with deeper more personal replies due to a mix of emotional learning between the AI and user, such as with places like ai girlfriend. These platforms are becoming increasingly adopted not just in the entertainment industry, but also in mental health & wellness, where AI companions are being used to assist users with stress management, anxiety and loneliness.