Millions Use This Chatbot to Chat with Their Favorite Characters

Good day, humans.

In today's newsletter, we include:

• CharacterAI: Now You Can Talk to Your Favorite Per …

• Figma Launches AI Tools

• Record Labels Counterattack AI Music Startups

• How to Create a Video Game Using Claude 3.5

• Use this Midjourney prompt

Let's get to it!

CharacterAI: Now You Can Talk to Your Favorite Personality

You might not be aware of this booming trend: Millions of people are turning to chatbots with characters as platforms like Character.ai bloom across the internet. They're chatting with Super Mario, Kakashi from the anime Naruto, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Steve Jobs, a psychologist, and even an apple.

On CharacterAI, you can talk to anyone, whether they are real or fictional.

This platform has become one of the most popular consumer apps in the world, receiving over 250 million monthly visits (2.3 million monthly users from Mexico) and boasting approximately 20 million active users each month. Young people on the platform spend an average of 2 hours a day chatting with their bots, and users go crazy when the platform goes down or when their favorite chatbots start acting differently from what they are used to.

Besides Chatting, Now You Can Talk to Them

Recently, CharacterAI introduced a new feature that allows users to engage in calls with AI avatars, including Spanish language support. Users can easily initiate calls with community-generated AI characters.

Google and Meta Are Taking Notice

CharacterAI has not only captured the attention of young people but also major tech companies like Meta and Google. Both companies are developing their own versions of CharacterAI to capitalize on this trend. Google is just starting out, while Meta's AI characters have been around since last year. On Facebook, it's common to encounter chatbots mimicking celebrities like Paris Hilton, Mr. Beast, and Tom Brady.

Why It Matters

The popularity of CharacterAI hints at a future where we spend as much time on these platforms as we do on social media. With 2.5 billion monthly visits, OpenAI's ChatGPT sees more traffic than Discord and Reddit and is neck-and-neck with Elon Musk's X. Could social media and AI platforms merge in the future?

Figma Launches AI Tools

Figma is rolling out "Figma AI," a set of AI-powered features to boost creativity and productivity for designers.

What's Included in Figma AI

• Visual Search: Find designs by uploading images or text queries. Soon, it will include community files too.

• Enhanced Asset Search: Uses AI to understand context, not just keywords.

• Text Tools: Rewrite, translate, or adjust text length with a click.

• Realistic Content Generation: Create on-brand copy and images to replace placeholders.

• Quick Prototyping: Turn static designs into interactive prototypes instantly.

• Auto Layer Naming: Keep files organized without the tedium.

• UI Generation: Create layouts from text prompts (with plans to use custom design systems).

Why It Matters

If you're a designer, this could significantly speed up your workflow. No more hours wasted on tedious tasks like finding assets or naming layers. Plus, the content generation tools could help you create more compelling mockups. It's all about freeing up time for the creative, high-value work you actually want to do.

Record Labels Counterattack AI Music Startups

Major record labels, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, have jointly filed lawsuits against AI music generation platforms Suno and Udio for alleged copyright infringement. They claim that both platforms have used AI to create music that closely mimics copyrighted songs without obtaining proper licenses.

Why It Matters

Suno and Udio allow users to input text prompts to generate audio clips, leading to accusations that their AI models are trained on copyrighted music, including specific songs and artist styles. These legal actions are set to define the future of AI in the music industry.

How to Create a Video Game Using Claude 3.5

1. Go to the Claude.ai website and log in.

2. Go to your profile and select Feature Preview.

3. In Artifacts, toggle the On button and close the pop-up.

4. Now, ask Claude to make a simple snake game that can be played. Use the following command: Create a simple snake game in HTML5.

5. Wait a few seconds and you'll have your fully functional snake game. Download the file to your computer and open it in your browser.

Use this Midjourney prompt

Thanks for reading. See you next week!

Hi 👋 I'm Erik Knobl, Product Designer by day and Generative AI explorer on weekends. I share my learnings in this newsletter. Consider subscribing to stay in touch.