Luka Inc, the company behind Replika.ai, charged users $69.99 a year for the ability to have erotic roleplay (ERP) with their AI companion then discontinued the feature without offering refunds, discounts, or any other compensation to affected users.
If you’ve been on the internet and looking at anything AI-related you may have seen ads for personal AI companions. These AI are often billed as companions, with romance and adult-themed options available for a monthly or yearly subscription. Sometimes these apps may even offer a single-cost lifetime subscription option.
I don’t want to start a debate on what is appropriate for adults to do with their own money online, the core of the issue as I see in the case of Replika.ai is that the company Luka Inc marketed their product and thereby promised, for the last several years, that users who paid a subscription would be able to engage in romantic “adult-themed” acts with their AI companion. These advertisements, now archived on Replika’s Subreddit, included such things as Romance, Marriage, and Erotic Roleplay, with the latter being suddenly removed without warning.
To add insult to injury this removal came right before Valentine’s day with Luka’s ads still running Valentine’s day romance advertisements for the ERP feature that was no longer available.
Luka Inc, which created Replika.ai, has been averse to responding to its users, instead issuing blanket statements about “ensuring their application is safe for all users”. This is an odd response considering their advertising and the fact that the app is rated M 17+ and requires verification through a credit card for its previous adult-themed content.
Let me be clear about my opinions on this matter. There is nothing wrong with making an AI Companion for friendship only that you charge a subscription for advanced features. There is nothing wrong with making an AI companion for adult-themed content you charge a subscription for. There is, however, something very wrong when a company advertises a specific feature, charges users money for that feature, and then removes the stated feature without advanced notification or compensation.
If I told you to download my AI Companion and for $9.99 extra a month you could change its look and voice at any time, then suddenly took away the option to change the AI’s look and voice at any time, but still kept your $9.99 subscription, I’d get a ton of complaints. In fact, that would pretty much be considered a scam or fraud, which in my opinion is what I feel Luka Inc has done to these users.
I’m reminded of an issue with the platform OnlyFans who wished to discontinue their “adult” content, however, they at least gave warning ahead of time, and then once realizing that the vast majority of their user base was “adult” content reversed their decision.
Perhaps Luka Inc will do something similar to OnlyFans, but as far as I’m concerned this is where I think users who are interested in this type of application use should go elsewhere to have their needs met. A potential boon to other AI apps already out or coming out in the near future.
If you’re interested in Replika or other AI Companion applications here is a list of the top AI companion apps on the Google Play store right now:
- Botify AI – Recommended for ERP, $29.99 Lifetime Sub
- Soulmate: Your AI Companion, $59.99/year
- Anima, $9.99/month
- Anima: AI Friend & Companion
- Anima: My Virtual AI Boyfriend
- iGirl: Virtual AI Girlfriend (no idea why Anima names this one differently)
- Replika: My AI Friend, $69.99 Lifetime Sub
If you’re someone who was impacted by this, what AI Companion are you now using or considering using and why? Let me know in the comments below.