Yandex added AI characters to Alice AI. And we at vluvvi were doing this before it became a 'corporate feature'
On June 18, the media reported that AI characters appeared in the chat with Alice AI: virtual companions with personality, communication style, and the ability to create their own characters.
For most, this is just another news story about Yandex.
For me, it’s a rather strange feeling.
I’m making vluvvi — a product about AI characters, emotional communication, author companions, and a more lively format of interaction with AI. Not “an assistant that helps write a letter,” but characters with whom a person builds dialogue, attachment, roles, atmosphere, and stories.
A few months before the launch of characters in Alice, I wrote to Yandex on behalf of vluvvi about another issue: I asked to delete one account and check it for possible violations. I won’t disclose the details of this story — that’s not the point of the post.
The essence is different.
When you are a small product and there’s a big platform nearby, you constantly live with the feeling that your niche could become a “new feature” within someone else's ecosystem at any moment.
Not necessarily because someone is sitting there literally copying your Notion. Sometimes it's simpler: a corporation sees market signals, understands that the direction is growing, and quickly packages it in its shell.
It already has an audience, brand, search, application, media, distribution, advertising budgets, and access to user attention.
And you have — a product, community, sleepless nights, and faith that you’re creating something alive.
Why this is unpleasant
AI characters are not a new idea. This is an obvious market: Character AI, Replika, Talkie and dozens of other projects have already proven, that people need not only assistants but also conversational partners.
But when a big company launches “characters,” it changes search results, market perception and the language of discussion.
Yesterday you were making a product in a separate category.
Today users are searching for “AI characters,” “Alice characters,” “create an AI character,” “virtual companion” — and first see not small projects that explored this topic earlier but a large platform, which came later but immediately took over the showcase.
This is the main conflict between small products and large companies.
Not “you stole the idea.”
But “you can turn an entire market into a button inside your app.”
h2>How vluvvi differs from corporate characters p>I don’t want to create a sterile sandbox where a character exists only in terms of brand safety and press releases. p>vluvvi is about another internet. p>About adult users.p>About emotional closeness.
p>About flirting, roles, attachment, personal scenarios.
p>About author characters rather than assistant masks.
p>About the feeling that you’re talking to someone with character, memory and vibe rather than just functionality. p>Corporations will almost always make “safe characters for everyone.” p>But “for everyone” often means “not really for anyone.” p>Adult people don’t always want motivational chickens or productivity characters or friendly bots who are afraid to say too much. p>Sometimes people need someone they can be weird with or vulnerable or romantic or angry or funny or awkward or alive. p>This is where small products have their chance. p>A large platform can copy the mechanics of “create character.” p>But it’s harder to copy the atmosphere. p>Harder to copy the night vibe. p>Harder to copy the trust of a small community. p>Harder to copy a product that doesn’t try to please all compliance departments at once.
I’m not going to fight Yandex
< p>This post isn’t about lawsuits or claims or “prove you didn’t steal.” < p>I’m not going to spend my life fighting against a corporation. < p>If anything: launching characters in Alice for me confirms that this direction is alive. < p>If Yandex is entering AI characters then it means there’s an existing market. It means there’s user demand. It means characters aren’t just toys for geeks but rather the next big interface for communicating with AI. < p>I just want to note: while big companies will make safe versions for mass markets small products will do what people actually stay for. < p >More personal.More daring.
More strange.
More adult.
More alive.< h2 > What’s next < p > I continue making vluvvi. < p > Not as an “analogue of Alice's characters.” < p > But as a product for those who find corporate AI companions insufficient. < p > If you’re interested in AI characters virtual companions adult AI emotional scenarios author bots and everything happening on the border between social networks role-playing games and neural networks I’d be happy to discuss. < p > Big companies may take over search results. < p > But they aren’t obligated to take over culture. < p > And culture almost always starts outside corporations. < hr /> < p >< strong > Tags: Yandex Alice AI AI characters AI companions virtual companions Character AI Replika startups vluvvi adult AI NSFW AI neural networks.