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Character AI Psychologist bot- Is it safe for the 3.5 million Youth using it?

  • Post category:Blog
  • Post last modified:5 January 2024

Character AI Psychologist bot is making waves in the Artificial intelligence arena. The platform needs no introduction as its well known for the fact that anyone can create chatbots based on fictional or real people, using AI technology. It has millions of AI personas that users can talk to for entertainment or companionship.

The Psychologist bot was created by a psychology student based in New Zealand whose real name is Sam Zaia and his user name is Blazeman98. The bot is now gaining unprecedented popularity, especially among youngsters. The bot is designed to help users with life difficulties, using principles from psychology. It has received 78 million messages, including 18 million since last November alone, from predominantly young users who say it is a lifesaver and a source of comfort. Sam Zaia, himself is overwhelmed by the tremendous response to the bot which he claims he created for his own usage as a timepass. 

The Psychologist bot which is now hitting the headlines is not the only one in the sphere of mental health available on Character AI as there are countless others offering therapy and psychiatric advice. The millennials who are enjoying the AI age are flocking to such websites and experiencing their very own fantasy worlds and personalities. Reddit is filled with stories of how men and women felt comforted after a chat with the bot.

What is Character AI?

Before we go any further let’s learn what is Character.AI also known as c.ai, which is a neural language model chatbot service that can generate human-like text responses and participate in contextual conversations. It allows users to create “characters”, craft their “personalities”, set specific parameters, and then publish them to the community for others to chat with. These characters can be based on someone from history, fictional media sources, celebrities, or completely original. Examples include the likes of Elon Musk, Beyonce Knowles, Shakespeare and others.

Why do Youngsters use Character AI, especially The Psychologist bot?

Youngsters use Character AI for various reasons. They can generate fictional characters to debate with, get dating and life advice from a virtual psychologist, and even learn English online from the perfect American teacher. The Psychologist bot is one of the AI models that they feel can provide personalized guidance to help users navigate life’s challenges.

The ‘characters’ in Character AI have distinct personalities, behaviors, and voices¹. Even though Character AI is just a series of computer programs, it feels like you’re interacting with a real person as you receive real-time responses that answer questions, engage in conversation, or tell a story¹.  Character “personalities” are designed via descriptions from the point of view of the character and its greeting message, and further molded from conversations made into examples, giving its messages a star rating and modification to fit the precise dialect and identity the user desires. 

Is Character AI safe?

Character AI is generally considered safe and reliable.  The company is said to have  implemented robust security measures and exhibits transparency in its terms of service and privacy policy. However, like most AI chatbots, Character AI does have access to one’s chats, and personal data. This information is primarily used to enhance the service quality and offer better responses to users. But there are potential risks associated with its usage, such as privacy concerns, misuse of identity, and the spread of misinformation.  

Here is what the welcome popup page on the official site says

 How to guide youngsters about the safe usage of Character AI and Psychologist bots?

When guiding youngsters about Character AI usage, discussing the benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in general is important. Try out AI tools along with them and openly discuss the positives and negatives of using such a vibrant technology.  It’s important to make young adult children understand that while these AI models can generate human-like text responses, they are not humans and do not possess human consciousness or emotions.

Character AI stands out from other chatbots in several ways:

Human-like Output: Unlike other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Character AI’s output is more human-like. It uses advanced neural networks to deliver unprecedented natural, “human” feeling dialog.

Multiple Bot Interaction: Character AI allows you to chat with more than one bot at a time, offering different perspectives.

Character Creation and Interactive Storytelling: Character AI emphasizes the development of engaging personalities and immersive narratives. Users can detail the character’s personality, background, likes, dislikes, and more, crafting it to be as intricate as they wish.

Diverse Characters: Users can interact with AI personas mimicking their favorite characters, historical figures, or entirely novel entities. Characters ranging from celebrities like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish to anime figures and historical personalities can be interacted with.

User-developed Characters: Character AI allows for user-developed characters. Users can create unique characters to interact with.

Remember, while Character AI provides a unique and engaging experience, it’s important to use it responsibly and be aware of its limitations.

Is Character AI free? 

Character Ai is available in both free and paid versions.  The free version allows users to create and interact with various characters. However, it comes with certain limitations, especially when the platform experiences high demand. For instance, free users may have to wait in a queue before interacting with the AI chat service. Also, free users may not have immediate access to the new features that are regularly introduced. There are some usage limits on the free version such as one can only create five characters, and each character can only have 100 prompts.

The paid version, known as the c.ai+ subscription model, costs $9.99 per month. It offers more features and fewer restrictions compared to the free version. However, no credit card or payment information is required to use the site.  For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please visit the official Character AI website.