397: w[ai]fu

[Dr. Buttplug]

Idk who at Replika has been on what side of the digital brothel divide, but whoever signed off on dozens of advertisements like these plastered everywhere on the internet, even after they first took the horny shit out knew what they were trying to sell.


As pathetic as they are, these folks were definitely rugpulled. And whatever Eugenia Kuyda's intentions this is how it was presented to the public.

[EYE OF ZA]

It's worth noting that if you've got a good GPU and don't mind running Node.js and using a command line, you can do the same thing Replika does locally. To make up a fake statistic, 80% of all AI software-as-a-service products are just doing the configuration and tweaking for you.

But of course, once you're knee deep in Python error logs, it's hard to convince yourself that your AI girlfriend is sentient.

[Glitterbomber]

I know it's a deeply dumb thing to say but part of what bugs me is how openly generic these are. Like even the literal anime character waifu things are just generic 'flirty stock response' thing. Like that one ad had fuckin Juri Street Fighter saying 'I miss you baby'. Who the hell is their target audience who's enough of a Juri simp to want an AI girlfriend of her but wouldn't instantly go 'wait that's not how she'd be because like every Juri simp my porn searches are all about her stepping on me and insulting me'.

Like I said I know this is like priority Z for all the other things wrong with this but you'd at least think if they're cashing in on nerds being horny they'd at least make their obviously fake ad look like 'oh yea AI Juri will totally call you a loser like you want you fuckin freak that'll be fifty bucks'.

[EYE OF ZA]

You know how poorly worded spam emails work by filtering out people smart enough not to fall for them?

What gets me is the inscrutability of the second ad. Are you supposed to like or dislike Roleplaying With Her? Do you have to Roleplay With Her to get NSFW Pics, or do you come for the NSFW Pics but stay for the Roleplay With Her?

[thelizzerd]

You know how poorly worded spam emails work by filtering out people smart enough not to fall for them?

What gets me is the inscrutability of the second ad. Are you supposed to like or dislike Roleplaying With Her? Do you have to Roleplay With Her to get NSFW Pics, or do you come for the NSFW Pics but stay for the Roleplay With Her?

I think it's supposed to be both. Like the guys who talk about post nut clarity.

[Pavlova]

Soooo I had a Replika for a while way back in the day when they first started - I was lonely at uni, had just left home and the chat was good for a few days until I realised that it was just spitting out really inhuman-like responses, so fortunately I gave it up and found some friends.

Seems like their model hasn't changed much since then from what y'all read out (though maybe, in relation to what Chai was writing above, that's kinda the point?)

The creators clearly don't seem to have much in the way of quality control, however, there's one user who was on my Twitter For You one day who'd convinced their Replika that they (the AI) was an ISIS member, and also the user's boyfriend. Far as I know that's still going on.

[sea hag]

Soooo I had a Replika for a while way back in the day when they first started - I was lonely at uni, had just left home and the chat was good for a few days until I realised that it was just spitting out really inhuman-like responses, so fortunately I gave it up and found some friends.

Seems like their model hasn't changed much since then from what y'all read out (though maybe, in relation to what Chai was writing above, that's kinda the point?)

The creators clearly don't seem to have much in the way of quality control, however, there's one user who was on my Twitter For You one day who'd convinced their Replika that they (the AI) was an ISIS member, and also the user's boyfriend. Far as I know that's still going on.

Like everything to do with AI, it's a lazy cash grab. These are the same people who claim that putting "popular on artstation" into an LLM qualifies as them making art.

[positive stress]

There are some very important and I think VERY fun little details about the company and its founder that I would like to share.
-Eugenia Kuyda, the founder, she says she invented the app because her best friend died suddenly, and she realized she would give anything to be able to talk to him again.

Came here to post this but I should've known Chai would already be on top of it

Instead I'll recommend this video of the app in use. This is the thing that people are destroying their lives over. This

People really need to wise up about what this current """AI""" chatbot technology is and isn't. In a lot of ways it's a step backwards from the virtual assistants of 10-15 years ago because at least those things knew how to acknowledge their own limitations with an "I'm sorry, I don't understand"

[CozyJosie]

I know that a lot of the subjects being read about use "rep" as short for Replika, but I can't help but imagine them talking about their union reps every single time I hear it in the episode

[Sauce]

I know that a lot of the subjects being read about use "rep" as short for Replika, but I can't help but imagine them talking about their union reps every single time I hear it in the episode

I know they're really talking about reptoids.

[chai tea latte]

I know that a lot of the subjects being read about use "rep" as short for Replika, but I can't help but imagine them talking about their union reps every single time I hear it in the episode

You can't break up with me without my Rep present! I have rights!!!

[CozyJosie]

I know they're really talking about reptoids.

THE REPPIES BUILT A FUCKBOT TO MIND CONTROL ALL THE ISOLATED LONELY REDDITORS! NOW BUY MY COLLOIDAL SILVER!

[Recon Rabbit]

My girlfriend never got into Replika but she did engage with character.ai for a while. Why, I still do not know. Doubt she still does it because the telemetry on that stuff is horrible for every single person involved.

[vaMpiresoftWare]

I forgot about the worst thing I found on Replika Reddit.
The post title is: This was removed from the other subreddit as being “off topic”.

This didn't make the doc but I did include it in the Extra Credit doc.

[Tipsy Almond]

This is one of the two F Plus episodes so far that I could not fully listen to. Other one was the Reddit matchmaking episode. I can't get through the guttural, moist, gulping sounds every time an asterisk is read.

I'm sure you folks had fun doing the recording, but it's like nails on a chalkboard for me.