SuperChat, a new AI conversation app that enables iOS users to speak with fictional characters powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, was released today by the same company that created the well-known iPhone customization tool Brass, sticker creator StickerHub, and other apps. The characters you may use to interact with SuperChat’s AI elements, however, are what set the app apart from the standard ChatGPT experience and the dozens of generic AI chat apps now on the market.
Characters from public domain works, classic tales, or fairy tales, such as Snow White, Medusa, or Sherlock Holmes, as well as those who represent various professions, such as gardeners, chefs, or therapists, are also included. Notable historical figures represented include Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, Cleopatra, and Neil Armstrong.
Gorilla Technologies has also developed its own characters, such as Aria, the default ChatGPT helper. Users can utilize this chatbot to help them with common activities like email writing or marketing knowledge, for instance.
According to Guglielmo Faglioni, CEO of Gorilla Technologies, “The goal is to make AI technology accessible to everyone, not just people who know how to write great prompts.” And we believe that through interacting with fun characters like Shakespeare, this app will be a terrific resource for children who wish to learn more about historical personalities.
According to him, the program’s layout is similar to a messaging app and enables users to engage in several simultaneous discussions with various AI chatbots. OpenAI technologies, notably GPT-3.5-turbo, are said to power the AIs themselves. In the meantime, mid-journey was used to generate the character art.
Some of the characters can be downloaded for free using the app, while paid subscriptions are required to access others. The app’s most affordable plan costs $1.35 per week if you choose an annual membership, which works out to about $70 per year. However, this upgrade is extremely expensive given that the experience of interacting with AIs is available elsewhere for free. With a weekly subscription costing an excessive $6.99, it appears out of reach, especially for the target demographic of children. The latter fee is probably intended to attract users who want to try out the app for a week before canceling rather than those who want to make an upfront commitment to a year.
Even still, the idea of giving an AI a face and having it behave in a manner consistent with their personality is intriguing.
The characters themselves, however, could need a little more setup because, after identifying themselves as the persona or character in question, they don’t appear to use that person’s speech patterns in subsequent interactions. For instance, you may anticipate Dracula to add a Bwhahaha to talks, but he instead reacted similarly to any other AI chatbot. Some characters did slightly better than others. For instance, Zeus revealed to us his ability to create lightning after describing how it occurs naturally in response to a science query on the subject.
The characters’ speaking manner is closer to that of a generic AI, yet they do appear to be aware of their own histories and will bring it up in discussion.
Superchat falls short of the experience provided by competitor Poe, the Quora chatbot tool where users may now create their own bots using prompts. While the feature is not only used to create characters, it has also been used to create things like a pirate chatbot that uses phrases like “Avast, ye scurvy dog! Instead of asking “how can I help you,” use “what be yer business?”
Recently, other companies have considered fusing AI with a persona or avatar, not just Gorilla Technologies.
Google purchased the AI avatar business Alter last October for $100 million, and the Korean startup Neosapience secured $12.5 million for Typecast, which enables users to convert text into video. But with its new technology that provides OpenAI’s ChatGPT a voice and a face, D-ID is operating in a field that is more similar to what Superchat is attempting. Though considerably more advanced, its web application actually enables users to have face-to-face interactions with a photorealistic AI.
While Discord now offers a bot with ChatGPT-like features, Meta also stated that it is experimenting with AI chats in Messenger and WhatsApp.
Instead of attempting to create new technology, Superchat is attempting to capitalize on the buzz around AI chatbots, a market where in-app user spending has increased by more than 4,000% year over year as of March, reaching close to $3 million across the top applications. As of last month, the top 10 AI smartphone apps had earned over $14 million this year. Its chatbots feel more approachable than visiting OpenAI’s website since they cater to a younger audience and have a user interface that is similar to chatting.
