Snapchat influencer launches an AI-powered 'virtual girlfriend' to help cure loneliness
MAY 16, 2023
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Caryn Marjorie wanted to talk to as many of her followers as she could — so she made an AI clone of herself.




The Snapchat influencer, who has 1.8 million subscribers, launched an AI-powered, voice-based chatbot that she hopes will "cure loneliness."




Called CarynAI, the chatbot is described on its website as a "virtual girlfriend." It allows Marjorie's fans to "enjoy private, personalized conversations" with an AI version of the influencer, the chatbot's website states.




The bot has gone viral, with Marjorie making headlines, stirring backlash and even receiving some death threats. The bot has also ignited discourse around the ethics of companion chatbots.




Marjorie, who in her Twitter bio calls herself 'The first influencer transformed into AI," did not immediately respond to a request for comment.




In a tweet on Thursday, she wrote “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," Marjorie, 23, wrote. "I vow to fix this with CarynAI. I have worked with the world’s leading psychologists to seamlessly add [cognitive behavioral therapy] and [dialectic behavior therapy] within chats. This will help undo trauma, rebuild physical and emotional confidence, and rebuild what has been taken away by the pandemic.”

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