Character.ai is getting into the microseries game.
The company, known for letting its users generate and engage with a suite of original and user-generated characters, is introducing “c.ai Series,” a collection of microseries created using characters native to the Character.ai platform. In a blog post Thursday, the company said c.ai Series differs from traditional microseries because a user’s experience with the shows doesn’t end when the episodes finish, as those over the age of 18 can chat with the characters following the episode and roleplay new scenes within each universe.
“That creates a deeper connection between fans and Characters, and gives our studio team a new feedback loop as we learn which Characters, worlds, and stories people want to spend more time with,” the company says.
Character.ai’s expansion into microseries highlights the format’s increasing relevance, with some revenue projections for microseries hovering in the billions, and the expediency generative AI offers in producing them. It also allows Character.ai to leverage the entertainment value of its user-generated characters after years of litigation over its chatbots allegedly leading people toward self-harm or impersonating medical professionals. (Character.ai has said its user-generated characters are fictional and intended for entertainment purposes, though the company in January settled multiple lawsuits alleging mental health issues.)
