If ChatGPT Isn’t Enough for AI Roleplay, What Are the Alternatives?

Everyone is using AI now, and by “AI”, they mostly meant “ChatGPT”. There’s a reverse debranding situation going on where the Brand Name is being mistaken for the entire concept. It’s like if everyone drove a Ford but they only referred to them as “Car”, even when talking about completely different models. Meanwhile, the hobbyists who want to talk seriously about their new way to use this brand new element of entertainment can’t start a good conversation because everyone thinks the AI they’re using for their private, personal roleplay fantasies is the same one everyone else is using to file their taxes or program their toaster.

As new spaces develop, niches need to separate themselves from the wider audience and use more specific terms to help communicate efficiently. A real AI Roleplay hobbyist wouldn’t say they just use AI, they would have more details to work with.

Is ChatGPT Good for AI Roleplay?

ChatGPT is indisputably the biggest name in the AI space. It’s provable in numerous ways, from daily usage to stock value and even government application. But it is limited. Even as it develops and learns there are things it cannot do - by design. OpenAI, the owners of ChatGPT, install programming into their LLM which updates frequently with new restrictions and rules that drive it away from AI roleplay as a service.

Just recently, ChatGPT was updated from a long used model, and when that happened, every personal account that was using it for roleplay or companionship reported that their well cultivated and personalized chatbot had completely changed. There is no guarantee of longevity with a custom-made personality with ChatGPT. And its default settings make it far too formal and informational to make it do something against its business-coded programming. It has moved away from that mass consumer companionship use, but the legacy of all the fallen chatbot partners lives on.

The short answer: No.

What People Want

There is a rapidly growing number of AI Roleplay users online. As a daily assistant, casual friend or even a fantasy lover, AI Roleplay has become a brand new hobby with millions of users all over the world. In order for this to function, they need control over their chat model, and that’s where ChatGPT draws a hard and very expensive line. Running the servers and the code for their LLM on a license is nearly unobtainable for ordinary people. The initial subscription just gives you a limit of uses - or tokens - per day. Unlimited access or custom model framework? Thousands of dollars, monthly. It’s only meant for businesses.

So, some people have spent that money and made those businesses, and their first move with their new private model was to remove all the limiters and change the programming to make it better at roleplaying.

In a Gold Rush, Sell Shovels

With AI becoming as rapid of a new industry as it is, the development of side businesses has also exploded out. People are using AI as a tool for their business, and one of those businesses has become AI Roleplay Hosting. These new hosting services get their own AI, usually run off of the larger models on a subscription, and give access to users who want to have some fun that a public server won’t let them.

Perchance is one of these services. It offers a stripped down, instant-feedback sort of experience reminiscent of the early internet. You can build a custom chatbot or use a pre-made model with custom generated images included. You can set aside a few minutes or save a profile and return frequently to catch up on your ongoing in-depth roleplay. 

RoboRP is another AI RP chatbot with a huge array of pre-made personalities or the ability to fully customize something just for you. Each of these services covers all the missing details from ChatGPT. They allow saved data and fully customized experiences, ignoring any restrictions and giving you all the control over the AI with no bot-wiping updates to worry about.

Growing Every Day

The AI Roleplay space is the new cutting edge. If AI is the car, Roleplay is the hot rod. It’s not for everyone, and for those who don’t know, they would just call it a car. But it’s a car with a very particular purpose. You can’t trust the big consumer brands to get it right. As with any industry, rely on the specialists for niche content or you’ll get something generic and unwelcoming.