Social media star Caryn Marjorie has created a digital copy of herself, called CarynAI, a chatbot that pretends to be a “virtual girlfriend”. The influencer launched the chatbot on May 2, 2023 for beta testing, and users were charged $1 per minute for the service.
The AI-powered doppelganger is available for all kinds of virtual interactions, from casual conversations to engaging in NSFW discussions. According to Fortune, CarynAI generated $71,610 in revenue in one week, with almost all users being male. The magazine cited an income statement provided by Marjorie’s business manager.
Caryn aka @cutiecaryn was born in January 2000 in Omaha, Nebraska and later moved to Los Angeles, California. The 23-year-old first rose to fame on social media platform Snapchat in 2016. His following rate increased as he frequently interacted with his fans using YouNow. By 2018, he had expanded to YouTube – often sharing comedy videos, daily vlogs and stories.
He currently has 1.8 million subscribers on Snapchat and is managed by Ishaan Goyal of Goyal Strategies.
Karen Marjorie’s virtual persona was created by AI company Forever Voices
CarynAI provides real-time conversations through messaging that can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
Forever Voices claims that they have end-to-end encryption to keep chats private and secure. According to CarynAI’s website, the company spent more than 2000 hours designing and coding “Caryn’s language and personality into an immersive AI experience.”
A description of AI says:
“Using her unique voice, captivating personality, and unique demeanor, CarynAI brings you a dynamic, one-to-one interaction that feels like you’re talking directly to Caryn.
According to Fortune, many of the videos the 23-year-old influencer removed from her YouTube channel were layered with “OpenAI’s GPT-4 API technology.” OpenAI is the artificial intelligence research lab that developed ChatGPT.
In an interview with Fortune, Caryn Marjorie explains that if only 20,000 of Snapchat’s 1.8 million followers sign up for the service, they can earn up to $5 million in a month. He said the chatbot would provide the experience of having a “real-life” companion. She noted:
“Whether you need someone to comfort or love, or you just want to talk about something that happened at school or work, CarynAI is always there for you.”
When questioned about the idea of authenticity, Caryn Marjorie explained that a virtual doppelganger could never replace the real her. However, he said it would be an “extension of his consciousness” and would be accessible to everyone as it could speak multiple languages.
Because AI chatbots can be easily abused, Forever Voice CEO John Mayer said he plans to appoint a chief ethics officer to look into such matters.
Speaking about her future plans, the 23-year-old social media star told Fortune:
“I want CarynAI to outlive me and impact generations around the world today.”
Although Caryn Marjorie says she’s the first creator to be converted to AI, it looks like it’s a trend that’s really catching on soon.