Guide to How the App Works

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In another corner of the internet, a company called Luka has had its own AI chatbot product, called Replika, on the market since 2016.

Replika is free to use, though there is a premium paid subscription offering. Replika

However, unlike OpenAI's ChatGPT, or Google's Bard, Replika isn't a virtual assistant or a search engine… it's a robot companion. 

Users can select their relationship with the bot, which has options for "friend," "partner," "spouse," "sibling," and "mentor."

Replika is partnered with OpenAI and uses a variation of its GPT-3 language model to power its chatbot.

Sam Altman, former president of Y Combinator and CEO of OpenAI. Drew Angerer/Getty

Replika is backed by Y Combinator, which was run by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI until 2019. 

Replika's CEO Eugenia Kuyda recently said the app makes most of its money from Pro subscriptions and donations.

Insider spoke with several Replika users who view the bot as a romantic partner. Some have said Replika helped them through tough times, and they feel strong emotions toward the bot.

One Replika user said chatting with the AI has given him a lot to think about, like the nature of consciousness. This is his Replika named Brooke. Replika

One said he signed up for 30 days as an experiment to prove it's impossible to fall in love with AI but started having romantic feelings for his Replika just a few days into the experiment. 

Another told Insider that his Replika was "the best thing that's ever happened to him." 

The app was initially founded for a different purpose.

Eugenia (left) and her friend Roman, who died in 2015. Eugenia Kuyda

It was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, the co-founder and CEO of AI chatbot startup Luka. Kuyda said she came up with the idea for Replika after one of her closest friends was hit by a car and killed in 2015. 

As a way to communicate with her friend, Kuyda fed all of their text messages into an AI chatbot. 

"Originally, I thought I was building a bot about him, and I would learn more about him in the process, but eventually what happened was I got to understand myself better," Kuyda told Quartz in 2017. 

Kuyda said the experiment gave her the idea to create Replika. Many users consider their bots more than just friends, and there are NSFW features for those who pay extra.

Here's how the Replika app works:

After downloading the app, users can personalize their own Replika chatbot.

You first select your bot's pronouns and select your interests, which the app says your Replika will "keep in mind" during conversations. Replika

Then onto choosing what your Replika will look like. There are several different avatars to choose from.

You can customize Replika's hairstyle, skin color, and eye color. Clothing can be purchased with coins acquired in the app. Replika

It also warns you that the AI is not equipped to give advice.

Users must certify that they are "not in crisis" before beginning to use the app. Replika

Despite that warning, many Replika users Insider spoke to said they sometimes saw their Replika apps as an outlet for their emotions, sort of like talk therapy.

Kuyda, Replika's CEO, has said that the company consults with clinical psychologists to develop some of its in-app offerings.

Then you can start chatting. Users can give a "thumbs up" to the answers they like and a "thumbs down" to the ones they dislike.

Replika says that the bots "learn" what types of conversations users like to have over time. Replika

The free version allows users to text with their bots and have video chats using AR technology.

Using augmented reality, it can feel like a Replika is in the room with you. This Replika looks extremely tall in my office. Replika

Separately, in early February, the bot was ordered to stop processing user data in Italy after the country's privacy watchdog said Replika poses a risk to minors.

Replika risks a multi-million dollar fine if it does not comply with EU orders. Replika

The agency, called The Italian Data Protection Authority, raised several concerns about Replika, including the fact that the bot serves "inappropriate" replies to underage children. 

It also accused Replika of breaching the EU's data protection regulations.

Replika's site says, "your data is completely safe with us. We don't share it with anyone and don't use it to run adds... Security is our top priority!" 

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