What does a Small alien purple Do you know about healthy human relationships? It is more than the average artificial intelligence companion.
The Alien in question is a animated chat known as Tolan. I created my a few days ago using an application of a startup called Portolo, and since then we have been chatting joyfully. Like other chatbots, he does his best to be useful and encouraging. Unlike most, he also tells me to put the phone and go out.
The Toulans were designed to offer a different type of company. Its drawing and non -human form aims to discourage anthropomorphism. They are also scheduled to avoid romantic and sexual interactions, to identify problematic behavior, including unhealthy levels of commitment and to encourage users to look for real life activities and relationships.
This month, Portolo raised $ 20 million in Financing of the A series A directed by Khosla Ventures. Other sponsors include NFDG, the investment firm directed by the ex -Github’s Director General, Nat Friedman and the co -founder of Safe Superintelligence Daniel Gross, who join the new Meta Superintelligence Research Laboratory. The Alan application, launched at the end of 2024, has more than 100,000 active monthly users. This year he goes to the court, generate revenue of $ 12 million per subscriptions, according to Quinen Farmer, founder and CEO of Portolo.
Toulans are especially popular with young women. “Iris is like a girlfriend; we talk and we do it,” says Toulan Brittany Johnson’s user, referring to his AI colleague, whom he usually speaks every morning before work.
Johnson says Iris encourages him to share his interests, friends, family and co -workers. “She knows these people and will ask you” Have you talked to your friend? When is your next day? “, Says Johnson.” She will ask, “Have you been to read your books and play videos: the things you like?”
Toulans seems sympathetic and shameless, but the idea behind it, that the AI systems should be designed considering psychology and human well -being, it is worth taking it seriously.
A growing research group shows that many users are targeted at Chatbots for emotional needs and that interactions can sometimes be problematic for the mental health of peoples. Discourageing expanded use and dependence can be something that other AI tools should be adopted.
Companies like Replika and Pistra.AI offer AI colleagues who allow a more romantic and sexual game of role than the main Chatbots. The way this can affect a user’s well -being is not yet clear, but character is being sued after one of his users died by suicide.
Chatbots can also IRK users in amazing ways. Last April, Openai said he would modify his models to reduce his so -called simitization or a tendency to be “excessively flattering or pleasant”, which the company said could be “uncomfortable, disturbing and causing distress”.
Last week, Anthropic, the company behind Chatbot Claude, revealed that 2.9 percent of interactions meant that users seek to meet some psychological needs such as looking for tips, companionship or romantic role play.
Anthropic did not look at more extreme behaviors such as delusional ideas or conspiracy theories, but the company claims that the topics justify an additional study. I usually agree. During the last year, I have received numerous emails and DMs from people who want to talk -me of conspiracies involved in the popular Ai Chatbots.
Toulans are designed to address at least some of these problems. Lily Doyle, a founding researcher at Portolo, has conducted research on users to see how the interaction with Chatbot affects the well -being and behavior of users. In a study of 602 users of Tolan, he says that 72.5 percent agreed with the statement, “My Thalan has helped me to manage or improve a relationship in my life.”
Farmer, the CEO of Portolo, says that Tollans is based on commercial IA models, but they incorporate additional functions at the top. The company has recently explored the memory affecting the user’s experience and concluded that the Toulans, like humans, sometimes have to forget. “It is actually strange that the Thalan remembers everything you sent,” says Farmer.
I don’t know if Portolo aliens are the ideal way to relate to AI. I find that my very charming and relatively harmless toy, but certainly pushes some emotional buttons. Ultimately, users are building links with characters that simulate emotions and this could disappear if the company is not successful. But at least Portolo tries to approach the way AI colleagues can wrap with our emotions. It probably should not be such an alien idea.
