She has vowed to free men from their loneliness. Is the influencer a pioneer in the relationship between AI and humans?
Because Caryn Marjorie couldn't keep up with answering her fans' messages, she had a digital clone of herself, CarynAI, created with the help of an AI company and GPT-4. With this clone, her community can now chat on Telegram and receive voice messages for a dollar a minute.
Marjorie, 23, has nearly two million followers on Snapchat. In the first week alone, CarynAI generated more than $100,000 in revenue, and in the long run, she expects to generate about five million dollars per month.
She has the support of Forever Voices. The startup has already cloned the voices of celebrities like Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and Albert Einstein, who can then be contacted via their own Telegram bot at forevervoices.ai. Marjorie, however, is the first to agree to the procedure.
Another difference is that CarynAI is not just meant to entertain, but to become a digital friend with whom you can develop an emotional bond.
The influencer's goal with CarynAI is not just to make money, but to offer a cure for loneliness. "Men are told to suppress their emotions, hide their masculinity, and to not talk about issues they are having," she writes on Twitter.
CarynAI is the first step in the right direction to cure loneliness. Men are told to suppress their emotions, hide their masculinity, and to not talk about issues they are having. I vow to fix this with CarynAI. I have worked with the world’s leading psychologists to seamlessly…
— Caryn Marjorie (@cutiecaryn) May 12, 2023
Psychological therapy methods integrated
She said she has worked with "world-leading psychologists" to integrate concepts of cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy. "This will help overcome trauma, rebuild physical and emotional self-confidence, and regain what was lost in the pandemic." CarynAI also encourages users to build real human relationships, he said. "It already prompts users to go for a jog, call an old friend, tell a parent or loved one you love them," the influencer said.
She said she has been working with "world-leading psychologists" to integrate concepts of cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy. "This will help undo trauma, rebuild physical and emotional confidence, and rebuild what has been taken away by the pandemic." CarynAI also encourages users to form real human relationships, he said. "It's already challenging users to go for a run, call an old friend, tell a parent or loved one that they love them," the influencer said.
Founder John Meyer developed the technology to connect with his dead father. So far, Forever Voices has only been funded privately, but since CarynAI went viral, he says he's been talking to investors. Meyer believes that with services like CarynAI, he is laying the groundwork for a future in which there will be emotional relationships between AI and humans.
Threats against influencers
While some of Marjorie's fans clearly enjoy CarynAI, or at least are willing to spend money on it, the project has also drawn heavy criticism - and not only that. The influencer was forced to change her residence and hire a security team due to threats against her person. That probably won't stop other social media stars from launching their own AI clones soon.
With these systems, the use of AI companions could reach new heights and people who are not familiar with the technology behind it. This is likely to bring new problems, as was the case with the Replikas chatbot dilemma.
