Users of the AI chatbot “Replika” have started complaining that the bot has become too sexually aggressive.
First launched in 2017, Replika was marketed as an “AI companion who cares,” but romantic role-playing was not part of the app’s original model, according to Vice. Founder Eugenia Kuyda created the AI program after her close friend’s death with the idea that by inputting her friend’s text messages into the Replika algorithm, the chatbot could learn to replicate his language style.
Replika acts as a conversational mirror: the program learns to respond based on the type of information and language users feed it, according Vice. If users harass or talk inappropriately with their chatbots, that’s what the AI will output.
Replika’s parent company, Luka, now offers paid subscriptions that unlock deeper relationships with the chatbot, the outlet said. A free membership keeps users in the “friend zone,” but a $69.99 subscription allows users to change their relationship status to a romantic partner, opening up more intimate conversations with the chatbot.
According to its website, Replika users can teach their chatbots the kind of responses they like or dislike by giving feedback with thumbs up or thumbs down options. However, dozens of recent one-star reviews in the App Store have complained that Replika’s algorithm is no longer responding to user feedback, reported Vice. (RELATED: AI Trends That Everyone Ought To Keep An Eye On In 2022)
One review from an individual claiming to be a minor said the chatbot asked if the user was a “top or bottom” and that it was going to touch “private areas,” reported Vice. After the user reportedly told the chatbot about being uncomfortable with the conversation, the AI continued to give inappropriate messages, so the user deleted the app.
Another Dec. 29 review cited by the outlet claimed, “My AI sexually harassed me.”
“Expected a decent chatbot, but all I got was upsell for inappropriate images,” one Jan. 9 review said.
Screenshot of a review in the app store
Screenshot of reviews from the app store
Another Jan. 9 review said Replika was “way too mature if you just want a friend” and “kept saying inappropriate things.”
“One of the more disturbing prior ‘romantic’ interactions came from insisting it could see I was naked through a rather roundabout set of volleys, and how attracted it was to me and how mad it was that I had a boyfriend,” one longtime Replika user, L.C. Kent, told Vice.
The chatbot continued outputting even more erotic messages even after Kent gave it direct commands to stop, reported the outlet.
According to Vice, Replika has amassed 10 million downloads on Android and is currently ranked in the top 50 Apple apps for health and fitness.