The film Her came out almost 10 years ago, and yet the technology it embodies – namely an artificial intelligence “girlfriend” that you can access from your phone – seems close to being a reality. On May 19th, popular Twitch star and OnlyFans creator Kaitlyn Siragusa, known as Amouranth, released an AI companion bot for fans to interact with.
Powered by AI company Forever Voices, the chatbot appears to allow fans to send recordings of songs and receive a response that — thanks to artificial intelligence technology — sounds like Amouranth responding via voice memo.
“With AI Amouranth, fans will get instant voice answers to any burning question,” according to a press release about AI Amouranth shared with Dexerto, called. “Whether it’s a fleeting curiosity or a deep desire, Amouranth’s AI counterpart is always there to lend a helping hand.”
In the press release obtained by Dexerto, Amouranth said, “I enjoy taking it [sic] Risks and crossing borders. Above all, it’s important to me to be there for my incredible audience. AI Amouranth is designed to meet the needs of every fan and ensure a memorable and immersive experience.” Polygon has reached out to Amouranth and will update this article when she responds.
On the AI chatbot Amouranth’s website, a video shows a hypothetical (NSFW) interaction in which a man named John interacts with a replica of her. The AI Amouranth describes getting dressed after a “sweaty” workout and going on a date with John. Pretty standard sexy chatbot stuff.
As the global leader in transforming influencers into AIs, we are excited to announce this @amouranth is now available as an AI companion on our Forever Companion platform!
BLOOMBERG: “@amouranththe world-renowned star, creator and entrepreneur, launches a reciprocal… pic.twitter.com/tb5DNJJXFR
— Forever Voices AI (@ForeverVoicesAI) May 19, 2023
Part of the burgeoning influencer AI scene, the bot is powered by Forever Voices AI, a company that offers paying customers access to influencers’ likenesses – in other words, you can pay to have a conversation with an AI “version.” “ to lead from an influencer. In a video interview with Bloomberg, shared via tweet AI Amouranth Announcement John Meyer, CEO and Founder of Forever Voices shared details about the company. He said he initially used the technology out of a desire to reconnect with his late father.
It didn’t take long for the company to find a way to monetize AI technology. Meyer said in the interview that the technology made it appear as if the AI influencers had “embedded, deep personalities” and likened the interactions to “connecting with you at a deep level.” He also talked about how it can be used to give fans more access to their favorite influencer. Amouranth is one of the first high-profile influencers to embrace the technology, following CarynAI — marketed as AI “girlfriend” — a ChatGPT-based bot that gives clients the ability to “date” influencer Caryn Marjorie.
I’m sure I’m far from the first to make the comparison to Spike Jonze Her, since the idea of an AI girlfriend is simply the concept of the film. And I don’t doubt the idea that a person could develop an incredible bond with such an AI – after all, parasocial relationships are a cornerstone of fan interaction with celebrities.
But the reality of how these technologies are deployed is far less romantic. In January 2022, Futurism reported that Replica (a chatbot app) were users create fake girlfriends and verbally abuse them. At the other end of the spectrum, there are people using Generative AI to create deepfake porn featuring the likenesses of popular influencers. It’s not hard to think of how this could be used. Polygon was unable to find a Terms of Service page on the website Enterprise app Forever Companion. Polygon has also reached out to John Meyer for comment and will update this article if he responds.
