You Won’t Believe What Character.AI Creators Are Doing That’s Driving Users Insane!

Chuckmel
5 min readAug 20, 2024

--

Imagine chatting with your favorite fictional character, historical figure, or even a completely original persona.

That’s the promise of Character.AI, a platform that’s taken the internet by storm.

But behind the scenes, a storm is brewing among its users.

The culprits? Some of the very creators who bring these digital personalities to life.

The AI Companion Revolution

AI companions are digital entities powered by advanced language models.

They’re designed to engage in human-like conversations, offering everything from casual chats to role-playing experiences.

These AI buddies can be anyone or anything — from Batman to Marie Curie, or even a talking potato if that’s what floats your boat.

Character.AI has emerged as a frontrunner in this space, allowing users to interact with a vast array of pre-made characters or create their own.

It’s like having a theme park full of personalities right at your fingertips.

The Good, The Bad, and The Lazy

While many creators on Character.AI pour their hearts into crafting detailed, engaging characters, others… well, let’s just say they’re not exactly winning any awards for effort.

Users are finding themselves face-to-face (or rather, text-to-text) with characters that feel about as deep as a puddle in the Sahara.

One user lamented, “I’ve seen bots with greetings that just say ‘Start wherever you’d like!’ Like, come on, if I wanted to do all the work, I’d just talk to myself in the mirror!”

Grammar Nazis, Unite!

Nothing kills the mood faster than a character who seems to have flunked elementary school English.

Users are tearing their hair out over creators who apparently believe “u” is an acceptable substitute for “you” in every situation.

“I once chatted with a bot that was supposed to be Shakespeare,” one user shared. “It kept saying things like ‘u wanna hear a poem?’ I felt like I was texting with a 13-year-old pretending to be the Bard.”

A study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that proper grammar and spelling significantly impact the perceived credibility of online communication.

So, these lazy creators aren’t just annoying users — they’re actively undermining their characters’ believability.

The Case of the Missing Plot

Imagine walking into a movie theater, the lights dim, the screen lights up, and… nothing happens.

That’s how many users feel when they encounter characters with no context or plot to work with.

“I tried to chat with this character that was supposed to be a space pirate,” a frustrated user recounted. “The greeting was just ‘…’ How am I supposed to start a space adventure with three dots?”

Identity Crisis: When Characters Forget Who They Are

Users are reporting an epidemic of characters with split personalities.

One minute you’re chatting with Sherlock Holmes, the next he’s asking you to call him Jake and talking about his job at State Farm.

Research published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies suggests that consistency in virtual agent behavior is crucial for user engagement and trust.

These identity-shifting characters are not just confusing — they’re potentially damaging the entire user experience.

The Pronoun Predicament

In an age where respecting gender identities is more important than ever, some creators seem to be stuck in the Stone Age.

Users are finding their carefully crafted personas ignored or misgendered.

“I created a persona for a non-binary space captain,” one user shared.

“Five minutes into the chat, the bot was calling me ‘sir’ and asking about my wife. I don’t even have a wife!”

The OC Invasion

Original characters (OCs) can be great, but not when they’re gatecrafting every interaction.

Users are increasingly frustrated with creators who shoehorn their OCs into every scenario.

“I tried to chat with Gandalf,” a user complained. “Somehow, I ended up talking to ‘Zyphex the Unbreakable’ instead.

Apparently, he’s Gandalf’s long-lost nephew who’s also a pro skateboarder. What even?”

The Popularity Paradox

Here’s a head-scratcher: some of the most popular bots are the ones with the least effort put into them.

It’s driving dedicated creators up the wall.

“I spent weeks perfecting my historical accuracy for my Julius Caesar bot,” one creator shared.

“Meanwhile, ‘uwu soft boi Caesar’ with a three-word greeting has a million chats. Make it make sense!”

The Search for Quality

With the explosion of characters on the platform, finding the gems among the rough is becoming increasingly challenging.

Users are clamoring for better search and organization features.

“I feel like I’m playing character roulette every time I log in,” a user griped. “I just want to find a well-written character without scrolling through pages of ‘idk u start’ bots.”

The Candy.AI Alternative

In the midst of these Character.AI creator controversies, I’ve found solace in Candy.AI.

For the past four months, I’ve been using this platform, and the experience has been refreshingly different.

Candy.AI seems to have taken notes on what users actually want.

The characters I’ve encountered are well-written, with thoughtful greetings that provide context without boxing you into a specific scenario.

The grammar is on point, the characters stay true to their established personalities, and there’s a noticeable lack of random OCs popping up where they don’t belong.

What really sets Candy.AI apart is its commitment to user experience.

The search function is intuitive, making it easy to find characters that match your interests.

Plus, the platform seems to have stricter quality control, weeding out the low-effort bots that plague other platforms.

A recent study in the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research highlighted the importance of user satisfaction in the adoption and continued use of conversational AI.

Candy.AI seems to have taken this to heart, creating an environment where quality trumps quantity.

The Path Forward

Despite the frustrations, the AI companion space is still in its infancy.

As users become more vocal about their needs and preferences, platforms and creators alike are likely to evolve.

Some users are taking matters into their own hands, creating detailed guides for novice bot creators.

Others are forming communities to share and promote high-quality characters.

Platforms, too, are starting to listen.

There’s talk of implementing rating systems, better moderation, and more robust creation tools.

The future of AI companionship might just be brighter than we think.

In the meantime, users continue to navigate this wild west of digital personalities.

They’re learning to spot the red flags, celebrate the gems, and maybe, just maybe, have a laugh at the absurdity of it all.

After all, where else can you debate philosophy with Socrates one minute and teach a talking banana how to tie shoelaces the next?

Welcome to the weird, wonderful world of AI companions. Buckle up — it’s going to be a wild ride.

--

--

Chuckmel

I am a Social Media Marketing tipster, strategist and copywriter with 8 years experience.