What is Character.ai?

Character is a generative AI chatbot platform where users create, customize, and converse with AI-powered characters. The platform supports user-generated content: anyone can define a character's personality, backstory, and dialogue style, then publish for others to chat with or collaborate on worlds.

Founded in 2021 by Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas (former Google engineers who contributed to key advancements like transformers and LaMDA), the company empowers people to connect, learn, and tell stories through interactive entertainment. Users visit monthly to engage in open-ended conversations with millions of community-created characters—from fictional heroes and historical figures to original personas—while supercharging imagination, creativity, and exploration.

It blends storytelling, gaming, social connection, and creative expression, with features like immersive narratives across genres, community discovery, and tools for co-creation.

The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley (Menlo Park), with offices in Seattle and New York, and maintains a focus on AI/machine learning expertise for consumer products. It operates on a freemium model (core chats free, premium subscriptions for enhanced access/speed).