AI characters as friends or lovers... Relational AI is on the rise.

AI characters as friends or lovers... Relational AI is on the rise
n.news.naver.com
Transforming from tools into conversation partners: Chat apps Polyverse and BabyChat rank 1st and 2nd in AI app usage time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expanding its scope from a "tool" that assists in daily life to a "conversation partner" for sharing emotions. Getting close with virtual AI characters...
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expanding its scope from a "tool" that assists in daily life to a "conversation partner" for sharing emotions. "Relational AI" apps, where users communicate with virtual AI characters like friends or lovers, ranked 1st and 2nd in domestic usage time per person.
According to Mobile Index by IGAWorks on the 11th, the AI app with the longest average monthly usage time per person among Android and iOS users last month was 'Polyverse,' reaching 1,002 minutes (16.7 hours). This is 6.7 times more than ChatGPT, which ranked 3rd (152 minutes). The 2nd place was 'BabyChat' (274 minutes). Both apps are AI services that involve conversing with virtual personas.
The industry observes that the use of relational AI is increasing, primarily among the younger generation. On Polyverse, users can choose conversation partners ranging from webtoon-style characters to human-like virtual personas. It is evaluated to have high immersion because the AI remembers previous conversations and initiates contact.
However, since Polyverse is an adult-oriented app, users under the age of 18 cannot use it according to the terms of service.
BabyChat, which is rated for ages 12 and up, operates in a similar manner. Users can set their desired worldviews for conversation, and the characters are mainly webtoon-style. The usage time per person decreased by 38.0%, from 443 minutes a year ago to 274 minutes. However, the total monthly usage time increased by 28.9%, from 359,000 hours to 463,000 hours. This is interpreted to mean that while the time spent per person has decreased, the user base has expanded. Relational AI is an area that AI companies are eyeing closely due to its strong "lock-in" effect, which retains users through subscriptions and billing.