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National

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun

The startup's hot app provides ChatGPT-style conversations in famous people's voices.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AI&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/technology/automation-and-ai" data-vars-content-id="8caf2995-0302-427f-acb9-d8a62fb132d6" data-vars-headline="Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/technology/automation-and-ai" target="_self">AI&#x27;s</a> latest hot startup is challenging <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ChatGPT" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/24/chatgpt-openai-iphone-boom" data-vars-content-id="8caf2995-0302-427f-acb9-d8a62fb132d6" data-vars-headline="Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/24/chatgpt-openai-iphone-boom" target="_self">ChatGPT</a> using the power of personality.What&#x27;s happening: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Character.ai" data-vars-click-url="https://beta.character.ai/" data-vars-content-id="8caf2995-0302-427f-acb9-d8a62fb132d6" data-vars-headline="Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://beta.character.ai/" target="_blank">Character.ai</a> does what <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ChatGPT" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/17/chatgpt-congress-regulate-ai" data-vars-content-id="8caf2995-0302-427f-acb9-d8a62fb132d6" data-vars-headline="Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/17/chatgpt-congress-regulate-ai" target="_self">ChatGPT</a> does, but with role-playing — so it can talk to you in the style of Madonna, or let you order <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Elon Musk" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/economy-business/elon-musk" data-vars-content-id="8caf2995-0302-427f-acb9-d8a62fb132d6" data-vars-headline="Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/economy-business/elon-musk" target="_self">Elon Musk</a> around.

Axios

Sunday's technology stories

Character.ai bets on making AI chat fun