This app lets you video chat with a ChatGPT-powered AI

Have you ever wondered if ChatGPT was a real person you could talk to? Call Annie is a new app that enables one-to-one video-based conversations with a ChatGPT-powered bot. The app features a female avatar that is capable of having normal conversations with the users.

Its App Store listing describes various conversation topics the "AI friend" is capable of, for instance, it can be used to understand complex subjects, learn a new language, improve general knowledge, prepare for interviews, and more. The listing further reads that talking "face-to-face in real-time time feels more natural and faster than typing and reading text."

Several users have talked to the ChatGPT-powered bot and uploaded video recordings on the web. While the responses don't seem to have much lag, the bot's voice in the recordings shared by the users does sound robotic.

The app's developers said in a Reddit post that the original image of Annie's face was created using Midjourney. However, facial expressions are animated in real-time using on-device processing to match the generated speech. For that reason, the free-to-use app currently relies on Apple's Neural Engine and its video calling mode is only available on iPhone 12 or later models.

Users with older iPhone models are limited to audio-only calls. However, Call Annie is also compatible with Mac computers that are powered by Apple's M-series chips and run macOS 13 or later.

The bot can also assist users on their travel adventures by providing information about various things such as local customs and must-see attractions. However, speaking of privacy, the developers claim that all the conversations with the AI bot are kept confidential. While replying to a user, they said that no voice recording is saved and only the "transcript is saved/forwarded to ChatGPT to get all the dialogue."

Multiple Reddit users reported that the bot insisted its "name was Samantha" when addressed by the name Annie, suggesting that it's a successor to the older chatbot named Samantha. The developers responded that the issue will be fixed soon. While replying to another user, they said that the assistant is "more of a “proof of concept” than final version" and more characters and voices are on the radar.

In related news, it was recently estimated that the cost of running ChatGPT could be as high as $700,000 per day. ChatGPT features have also been added to Stardock's Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition which is available as an early access title. Furthermore, OpenAI recently added an incognito mode to ChatGPT, allowing users to disable the chat history and training data collection.

Via Digital Trends