As severe loneliness and isolation increasingly plague many around the world, some are turning to artificial intelligence companions and partners to find comfort.
As attractive as that may sound to some, it hasn’t always quite worked out in the end, such as how one married man in Montana turned to an app called Replika to give himself a virtual wife. But unfortunately for him, even the AI rejected him after a while and sent him back into depression.
Nevertheless, more people are flocking to AI companions to solve their loneliness.
Reported by financial analysis website invezz, the AI companion website Avatar.One ‘has surpassed 120,000 monthly active users worldwide since it launched earlier this year, with many of the users spending over three hours chatting with their personalized AI companions.’ The program was created by Matrix.One.
The outlet goes on to explain how the app works and how it aims to combat loneliness:
Built on Solana, with more than 100,000 connected Solana wallets, Avatar.One enables users to easily create their ideal 3D AI companion to help fight the loneliness epidemic worldwide.
Avatar.One’s avatar maker allows users to define the AI companion’s personality, choosing from hundreds of thousands of variations, and even giving it a live AI-generated voice. Users get to chat unfiltered with their characters, flirt, receive selfies and videos, and create memories together. They can even further develop the AI character’s personality by adding memories.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness a “global public health concern” that could be as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Among the older adults, loneliness is associated with a 50% higher risk of developing dementia and a 30% increased risk of stroke.
According to a Harvard University survey, 61% of Americans aged 18 – 24 experience severe loneliness. Another Harvard study conducted this year suggests that interaction with AI companions reduces loneliness on par with interacting with another human. Further studies have also revealed.) AI Companions can assist in social and emotional skill development.
Mark Studholme, Co-Founder of Avatar.One and Matrix One, said,
I envision a future where every living person can own an AI character they define. These AI characters can help them with daily tasks, whether that be reminding you of your mom’s birthday, watching Netflix with you on the couch, or even paying your taxes.
The loneliness epidemic is a significant problem. But with the rise in AI technology and its rate of development, it’s possible to build a future where everyone has a full-time 3D companion to help with everything from conversation to advice on cooking, reminders about important events, submitting taxes, financial management, and more. The quality of the chat experience is constantly improving and better able to emulate real human interactions as AI models get more refined.
Avatar.One is powered by Matrix One’s custom built decentralized protocol, which boasts a character studio, avatar maker, and a vast library of LLMs. From this technology, 3D AI characters can be integrated with game engines such as Unreal, Unity and Three.js. Matrix One allows fully animated AI powered characters to be delivered across many different mediums including web, mobile, VR, AR and more. As a result, all avatars are downloadable for use in over 200 games and applications.
Avatar.One prioritizes user safety and privacy. All interactions and user data are stored in an encrypted database using SSH and kept confidential, never to be shared with third parties. It also uses passwordless authentication to ensure that a user’s password cannot be stolen.
The user growth milestone comes as Matrix.One prepares for its upcoming token generation event (TGE) on Polkastarter, Seedify and ChainGPT in the weeks before the token’s listing on centralized exchanges. The $MATRIX token enables participation and transaction within the Matrix One network, allowing users to access, create, and interact with AI characters, besides giving holders governance rights.
Avatar.One is available to anyone above the age of 18 who feels AI companions can alleviate their loneliness. The platform plans to make on-chain characters available soon, allowing users to fully own their character and interaction history.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Truly we are watching a total breakdown of society, which is the understatement of the century. Witnessing all of it is just saddening to see all the divers lusts people are running towards as a coping mechanism. Everything is becoming, and really has become in many ways, fake and artificial.
SEE: Young Chinese Women Are Increasingly Resorting To AI Boyfriends
Must Read: Tech And Financial Gurus Seek To Leverage AI To Live Forever And Preserve Their Wealth
Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
However, there is a Comforter out there and it’s Christ’s Holy Spirit of God. AI is just the dead consulting the dead.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. [27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; [4] Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
SEE: The Forgotten Verses Of Salvation
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Brother Jacob a soft admonition to avoid putting up images containing suggestive material (especially when it comes to these AI avatars which are becoming a fascination to many) when it can be avoided as many coming to this site may have addictions and not even be aware these are options to feed those addictions. Written information can convey the dangers well enough without putting a potential temptation in front of someone who might otherwise be trying to avoid these types of things.
Fair enough. I went ahead and just removed them.
Thank you. It may not be an issue for most (I would hope) but I know from personal experience that a single image can stir up things that have since been buried and forgotten.
Thamk you brother, i appreciate it. Been struggling w/ sexual sin. I can abstain for a good while, and then i fall off because i see some suggestive ad, especially from youtube.
If you don’t already you can manually block individual ads and after awhile YouTube sometimes figures out you are not interested in those kinds of ads. Worked for me at least for now. Never was sure why YouTube seems to get flooded with those types of ads occasionally regardless of my watch history (which is mostly just sermons).
Instead of turning to A I he should have turned to the Lord. That is designed to turn away people from God, when maybe they might have looked to the Lord.
Seems to me that the epidemic of loneliness is fueled by technology and not cured by it. I am old enough to remember well when people did not walk around all day staring at a handheld device with a slack jawed countenance. Instead people interacted with others.
A little off topic but can you confirm ° Malachi 4:2 Sun of Righteousness° does it show up the same in your bible.
Yes, that’s how it should read.
Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Thank you Jacob we noticed it in one of our hymns too and took to be an error until we saw it in our bible in Malachi again. Now we know it’s correct. Glory to God for your help. Numbers 6:24-26 to you.
Av1611 There is no need to worry, a brother in Christ once’s said the KJV Bible means what it says and says what it means.
The part about the AI even rejected him made me chuckle. I mean I can’t even fathom anyone really going for this AI companion.
Sometimes I think these stories are faked just to desensitize people into doing it. You know what I mean?
Thank you brother Jacob for posting these news.
Many young men have dabbled in this sort thing (myself learning about apps you mentioned about 4yrs ago, while still lost and part of the ‘manosphere’ and mgtow.
I was even was delusional between 2018 and 2022 by idolising a character from a fictional animated series, because I was ‘spoilt by philosophy’ (Col 2:8-9) of women mostly being gold diggers and rarely being genuine (although an ungodly woman can easily be beguiled to follow such ways of thinking, just as the men).
Since the Lord Jesus Christ saved me, lonelineness had been less of issue (but certain struggles with sexual sin persisted for some time, similar to what the brother mentioned above).
What helps is Jesus Christ, and the word of God of course!
John 14
18: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The sin of pornography, obsession with fictional characters and partaking in this AI companion stuff involves idolatry (sometimes it’s not even hidden, with the ‘idol’ being used in an endearing manner, like Japanese pop idols):
Galatians 4
8: Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9: But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
From a secular perspective (and knowing the greed of tech companies), personal data from such apps is almost certainly collected and used by third-parties one way or another. My field may be in electronics, but I still clearly see that Satan uses technology as a crude substitude for the Living God (Jesus Christ)’s omniscience and omnipresence.
So the best way to be in fellowship with the Lord (whether you’re physically lonely or not) is to ‘walk in the Spirit’:
Galatians 5
16: This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18: But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21: Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23: Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24: And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Also don’t forget hymns, as we are commanded:
Ephesians 5
19: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Colossians 3
16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Thank you for your testimony on this matter, Andrey!