With ChatGPT and other AI chat services, you typically type a question or query and then read the results on screen. But what if you could speak with a virtual avatar version of the AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but attempts to engage in direct conversation with you? This is exactly the ambition of a new application called Call Annie.
Designed for iOS and the web, Call Annie features a virtual female avatar that tries to look, look, and act like a real person. Using Apple’s neural engine for AI deep learning, Call Annie offers video chat mode only on iPhone 12 and later. Older iPhone users can only chat with Annie in audio.
Once the function is activated, Annie starts the conversation by asking you how you are or how your day is going. You can either respond accordingly and see where the conversation leads, or ask a specific question or request.
Small talk with an AI
Because Call Annie is built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT model, it’s able to respond to virtually any request you would normally make to the service. You can ask Annie to explain a complex topic, solve a math problem, compose a poem, tell a joke, translate a sentence, and much more. And if she doesn’t know the answer right away, she’ll search the web for you. But Annie goes beyond the usual ChatGPT messaging by offering a more conversational approach!
For example, I asked Annie to tell me how long it would take to drive from New York to Washington, D.C. She gave me the answer, but then asked me if I had already driven myself. After talking about the drive, we talked about why I went to DC, talked about my favorite museums and how I enjoyed the trip.
You can let Annie lead the conversation based on her questions and your answers, lead it yourself, or end the discussion whenever you want. But since Annie sounded “real,” I admit I felt a little embarrassed stopping the conversation mid-stream, like I’d left her in a virtual space waiting for me to come back.
Annie is also designed to provide emotional support
Annie is also designed to provide emotional support, at least in a completely unofficial way. Describing herself as an AI friend who you can talk to about anything that concerns you, Annie aims to help you solve a problem.
During a conversation, I told him that I felt anxious because of a job interview. After asking me a few questions to get more details, she gave me practical advice that I could use… In another chat, I told her that I was depressed because I was not sleeping . After giving me several helpful suggestions, she advised me to see a doctor or therapist if the problem persisted!
Of course, an AI chatbot cannot and should never substitute for a trained professional, especially for people facing serious emotional issues. But instead of a real person, sometimes this kind of app can at least point you in a useful direction.
As an avatar, Annie uses facial expressions
The iPhone app is easy to use. Just press the “Call Annie” button and start the conversation. If you don’t intervene first, Annie will try to involve you by questioning you. You can also tap the Conversation Ideas button [en anglais, comme le reste de l’interface] at the top of the page to view different topics in categories such as Lifestyle, Fun, Education, Travel, and Career.
As an avatar, Annie uses facial expressions, eye and mouth movements, and more to make it look like she’s listening to you and thinking about your questions. Created by the text to image tool Midjourney, Annie’s face looks quite realistic. His voice sounds robotic, but not to the point of spoiling the overall experience.
In a recent chat on Reddit, the developers of Annie revealed some details about their AI chatbot, explaining that expressions and lip movements are animated on the device to match actual speech. From a privacy perspective, no voice is recorded, but a transcript is passed to ChatGPT to get all the dialogue. You can also delete any conversation from your chat history. Next up for Annie is support for ChatGPT version 4, as well as creating a character, a story, and even a memory so she can remember who you are.
Source: “ZDNet.com”