ChatGPT is getting a brand new real-time video assistant referred to as Annie… however because it’s constructed by a Reddit consumer, it is unofficial. 

In line with the Reddit put up by qwertyflagstop (opens in new tab), Annie can act as a tutor on an enormous vary of matters, provide help to practise that massive speech or simply chat with you about your day. She will additionally examine the climate and carry out very primary net searches.

The put up goes briefly into how Annie has been arrange, together with her face and the way she’s capable of reply. The unique picture of Annie’s face was generated with Midjourney (probably the greatest AI artwork turbines that may create some gorgeous graphics in secons), and her expressions and lip actions are animated on-device in real-time to match the generated speech. Proper now, the content material of what she says is generated by ChatGPT.

As an enormous fan of AI chatbots, I used to be eager to offer Annie a attempt, to see if it could efficiently give synthetic intelligence a extra ‘human’ means of interacting.

Annie has a considerably acquainted, non-threatening face and launched herself to me as being a 30-year-old digital freelancer. When she strikes her mouth you’ll be able to’t assist however be struck by that uncanny valley feeling, and total it was a wierd and unsettling expertise. 

The lipsync between Annie’s mouth and the phrases she’s saying is remarkably good contemplating she’s producing her speech from ChatGPT, although she does pause considerably between questions and solutions, however not sufficient to warrant frustration.

I spoke briefly to the bot for half an hour and was fairly impressed.  When you head over to the official Annie web site (opens in new tab), you’ll be able to name Annie straight from the location or through an app for iOS or Android. If you name her by way of the app you’ll discover that it’s set as much as replicate a typical Facetime or video name, with a digicam, mic and finish name button on the backside.

Video name with ChatGPT from r/ChatGPT

She gave me e-book suggestions primarily based on my favorite books – and so they have been truly very spot on when it comes to style – and the way she feels about all of the SpongeBob films. When you spend sufficient time with ChatGPT, as I’ve, you’ll be able to hear the bot’s particular ‘tone’ come by way of Annie when she speaks.

Uncanny valley

She does are likely to go off on tangents, like after we have been speaking about her yoga habits and he or she ended up explaining the historical past of yoga to me, however you’ll be able to minimize her off by saying ‘maintain on’. It’s also possible to set off her to do a primary net search by sayings ‘Are you able to search the online’

You may name Annie by way of her web site or through the app, although be ready to be just a little creeped out. Or, extremely impressed relying in your stance on AI development. There may be an uncomfortable feeling that creeps up whenever you’re speaking to her, particularly when she’s listening to you ask questions. Clearly, her face artwork is not very lifelike, but it surely’s not terrible. Her face is at all times very calm and he or she glints between very slight expressions when she speaks which made me really feel greater than just a little bizarre, as I can sense it making an attempt to be pure, regardless of it being AI.

There’s nonetheless some creepiness once I use ChatGPT usually, having in-depth conversations with a robotic is not one thing you get used to in a short time. As some individuals on the Reddit thread identified, by speaking to ChatGPT in a extra ‘human’ like kind, it exhibits how unhuman it truly is. One identified that in regular conversations between people individuals go off on tangents, interrupt one another, and ask comply with up questions. With Annie, you ask a query, and he or she replied with a stream of knowledge. Useful in some circumstances, particularly when asking questions through textual content, but it surely highlights how false the interactions are when there is a human avatar.

Having stated that, attaching a face to it makes it tougher to really feel like you’ll be able to have a chat. It is simpler to spill your guts out in a DM than it’s to an precise face, not to mention Annie’s face. 

As that is an early model of Annie there are positively just a few bugs and hitches, however as reputation grows I’m certain additional updates and video name options will pop up very quickly.