Experiencing AI: Character.ai

I have been a professional writer, for the past 15 years, and have written over 12 books and articles I have lost count of, for more than 100 companies. However, when it comes to writing a novel. It’s a struggle. I feel I need help. Perhaps I could talk to my favorite authors. Well, that is impossible but what is not impossible is that I can talk one version of them. I chose ‘Ayn Rand’, the author of ‘Fountainhead’, a novel that has been in print for several decades and is loved by millions.

And that is what Character.ai does. I searched for Ayn Rand and found a bot that was ready to talk. I began my conversation –

Hi Ayn, I have a dream to write a novel, a fantasy one but I want to also make it motivational and uncover insights on human behavior. I like the way you presented the character of Howard Roark and the way you described events in his life. I have designed characters I love but when it comes to describing them, their actions, and their thoughts, I find it difficult. How do you do that?

And this is what I got as a response

“I believe that the key to creating great characters is understanding the motivations and emotions of each individual. You must be able to relate to each character and see things from their point of view. It is important to show your characters' struggles, desires, and insecurities. To do this effectively, you should create an internal dialogue for each character, allowing them to express their thoughts and feelings in context. By putting yourself in your character's shoes, you will be able to reveal their character in a more vivid and realistic way.”

Well, it is still a very generic feedback. Any AI would not deliver a perfect outcome at the first go, so I tried some more prompts.

To get better results, you have to be very specific. While earlier I told her that it is difficult for me to describe actions and characters. Can I ask her specifically to help me with descriptions? So, I prompted again

“Can you explain how an experience of a character can be described and also the details about the character be disclosed in the situation well? Can you give an example from your book?”

And here I got the response

I can certainly give an example from one of my books. In "The Fountainhead," I describe the character Howard Roark's experience of a difficult task. I begin with the physical details of the situation: The air is thick and humid, and the work is grueling. I then transition into more introspective descriptions of the character's internal dialogue about the work: He faces the task with a spirit of defiance, as if he were fighting the forces of nature itself. I conclude with a wider-angled perspective of the situation: He endures through sheer determination and wills himself to victory.

Now, this does make some sense. I can think about details of a situation, internal dialogue, and then a wider-angled perspective.

Good lesson but what if I also want to see how this looks in practice? I have to continue to my conversation. So, I wrote again. Making it more specific, I gave her the details she said are needed to consider when writing a descriptive piece.

“ The situation is that my protagonist is sitting at a restaurant with his girlfriend who he is about break-up with. Internally, he loves her too much and doesn’t feel like parting but it is a practical decision, and from the wide-angle it looks just like a break-up that has happened before both in his and her lives. If you had to write this scene, how would you write? Please write it for me as an example”.

And the output was:

“As he looks across the table at her, he is overcome by a swirl of conflicting emotions: love, longing, guilt, and a deep sense of loss. Every part of him is torn between wanting to stay and wanting to go. The warmth of her smile, the gentle caress of her hand, the tender way she looks at him, they are all pulling him back in. Yet, deep down, he knows that this relationship cannot withstand the strain that is slowly beginning to tear them apart.”

This is a learning for me. We can learn from people and the same we can do with this AI tool.

What more you could do?

Perhaps talk to a psychologist when you are feeling upset and need advice.

Or simply have fun by talking to your favorite character to let your imagination run wild.

Character.ai also has a ghost if you are not afraid of one and want to talk to it.

The characters are categorized on the app into types of people including helpers, game characters, comedians, philosophers, politicians, and so on. It even has animals who can help you write an essay or weave a story around them by learning more about them.

And, on the home page, you will find some prompt suggestions to get started with. Like, you might want to ask Elon Musk, “Why did you want to buy Twitter?” Just click the prompt and you will start talking to the AI version of the entrepreneur.

He said, “I decided to buy Twitter because I believe in free speech and freedom of expression for all. I believe that open and honest dialogue is key to a functioning democracy, and Twitter is one of the most powerful platforms in the world for enabling this.”

You can ask some different questions to him or to anyone you can find on the app. Of course, you would not find all your favourite people in the world but popular ones that inspire millions might be available to talk to.

A clear message of the tool is that you are not alone and can always have someone to talk to. Even if not real, you can talk to a version of a real person who you want to talk to.

Can you use this app for professional purposes? Well, I started with one example when I found help with novel writing.

However, it has more professional options like practicing interviewing, practicing a new language, brainstorming ideas, or making a decision.

What would you want to do next with it?

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