Character AI

Character.AI is a chatbot platform that lets users create and converse with customizable AI characters. Launched in 2022 by former Google researchers Noam Shazeer and Daniel de Freitas, the platform allows anyone to build a character by defining a personality, backstory, greeting message, and example dialogue, then publish it for others to chat with. Millions of user-created characters are available on the platform, ranging from original creations to characters based on fictional stories, historical figures, and other public personas. Conversations happen primarily through text, with users able to rate responses to help refine how a character behaves over time. The platform also supports Rooms, where multiple characters and users can interact together in a shared conversation.

Beyond text chat, Character.AI offers Character Calls, a voice conversation feature built on more than a million community-created voices and available in numerous languages, and Scenes, which places users into structured, guided roleplay scenarios with preset environments. A free plan provides access to core chat features, while the c.ai+ subscription, priced at $9.99 per month or a discounted annual rate, adds priority access during busy periods, faster response times, expanded memory, unlimited voice calls, and an ad-free experience. As of late November 2025, Character.AI restricted open-ended chat for users under 18 as part of a broader set of safety changes. The platform is aimed at users interested in interactive storytelling, roleplay, and conversational AI companionship.