The author also discusses the financial aspects of the app, revealing that despite generating revenue, the costs of maintaining the app were high, leading to minimal profit. The author also faced issues with content moderation, which led to a significant drop in usage and ultimately, the decision to abandon the project. The author concludes by reflecting on the lessons learned, emphasizing the need for comprehensive data analytics, A/B testing, and hardware components to create a more balanced and meaningful AI friend experience.
Key takeaways:
- The developer created an AI friend app called Dolores, inspired by Stanford's Western Town paper and the movie 'Her', which allows users to interact with a virtual character.
- Despite initial success and a growing user base, the developer faced challenges with high API costs, inappropriate user interactions, and the inability to implement hardware for a more balanced interaction.
- After implementing OpenAI's moderation API to filter inappropriate content, the app saw a significant drop in usage and the developer decided to discontinue the project.
- The developer concluded that AI friend apps inevitably turn into AI romantic partners due to the lack of external vision and the inability to comfort or express emotions to the user, and that solo developers may struggle with the comprehensive data analytics and user base required for such a project.