- BTW’s exclusive interview with Mr. Yajun Zhang explored the challenges and breakthroughs in developing AI for virtual companionship, highlighting the crucial role of personality shaping and long-term memory in fostering meaningful human-AI interactions.
- This exclusive interview indicates that Mr. Yajun Zhang analysed the potential of AI to provide emotional and practical support in everyday life, particularly for the elderly.
For BTW’s exclusive interview, we are thrilled to welcome Yajun Zhang, author of VirtualWife, at this AIGC event. His work shows the intricate challenges of character development and long-term memory in AI, with the goal of creating virtual companions that genuinely enhance and enrich human lives. As a prominent figure in this evolving field, his insights and innovations are driving the future of AI-driven relationships.
Q: What is the purpose of VirtualWife?
The purpose of this project was just my personal interest to see if AI can establish a bond with people and develop some relationships. That is why I started this project.
Also read: Transforming human-AI connections: Insights from Yajun Zhang’s VirtualWife
Q: Have you encountered any difficulties during development?
One difficulty has been the capability of the model. It is quite challenging to shape a character’s personality. There are many ways to do this, like collecting a lot of data on the character you want to shape, which requires continuous tagging or searching. Also, if you are only using prompt-based methods with large models, the results are not very good. So, you may need to fine-tune the model yourself to ensure the information it outputs fits the character you’ve envisioned.
Another issue is long-term memory. We have found that long-term memory is a very important issue in large models. No matter the application, long-term memory is crucial. Especially in virtual companionship, you first need to clean up all the information from your interactions with users. For example, you need to know the hobbies or likes of the person you’re conversing with. Additionally, you must advance the relationship based on your interactions, reflecting on what stage your relationship has reached. Supporting how users can continue talking to it long-term is really important.
Also read: AIGC 2024 Shanghai Developers Conference highlights AI agent internet and embodied intelligence
Q: With a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend, could some people become dependent on it and pose some problems?
We need other methods like adding new interactions that connect with your reality to enhance the experience and make users more dependent on it.
Yajun Zhang, author of VirtualWife
From what we see now, if it is based purely on dialogue and text, it is actually hard to become dependent because the interaction is too limited. Users may find it impressive for a while, but over the long term, it can become quite boring. So we need other methods, like adding new interactions that connect with your reality to enhance the experience and make users more dependent on it.
The idea of emotional companionship is not necessarily about falling in love with AI. Another aspect can be, for example, during my study sessions, I want someone to encourage me to study and accompany me. Or while I am gaming, someone can provide me with game strategies, offer emotional value like cheering me on if I defeat a boss, or advising me on what to do if I fail.
Q: You mentioned Character AI and its involvement with certain characters. What scenarios would it be used in?
In the virtual companionship scene, I think we may need to explore new interactive modes, like establishing some real-life connections or perhaps turning the information generated during AI-human conversations into a diary.
Yajun Zhang, author of VirtualWife
Character AI belongs to a broad platform. One aspect is that the platform pre-sets many characters, like anime or gaming characters such as Naruto, Raiden Shogun from Genshin Impact, or even Elon Musk. It also allows users to create their own characters, like crafting a character with a different personality. But the issue with this platform is that it is rather shallow. Although the functionality is powerful, once you have past the novelty, it can become quite boring. So in the virtual companionship scene, I think we may need to explore new interactive modes, like establishing some real-life connections or perhaps turning the information generated during AI-human conversations into a diary, which I think will be quite nice.
Q: In 2024, have you made any significant breakthroughs in virtual companionship?
A significant breakthrough has been in memory. I have thought about many things we can do, and I have some ideas about fine-tuning the model to reduce the costs of training character models.
Q: Your topic today is virtual companionship. Are there other areas you would like to explore, and what is your goal?
Now, with the aging population in China, elderly people may also need companionship. Often, their children are working away or are not frequently at home, and the elderly can feel lonely. AI can provide some emotional value in this area. Additionally, if an elderly person has mobility issues, like needing to buy groceries, AI can help with that. Companionship does not necessarily mean just emotional support—there are many aspects of daily life. For example, I think if AI can automatically order takeaways for me, it will also provide a rather nice experience.
If I were to develop a virtual girlfriend, I may want to integrate some gaming-related elements to give the product more depth. Initially, I may not focus on letting many people define these characters. I will likely craft a good character into it and later let users arrange things like the storyline. If I am doing the virtual girlfriend, I want to make it intersect with our reality in some way.
A personal insight
In our exclusive interview with Yajun Zhang, author of VirtualWife, I am struck by his innovative approach to AI companionship. His work goes beyond the usual scope of AI, aiming to develop virtual entities that provide both emotional and practical support. His candid discussion about the challenges of shaping AI personalities and managing long-term memory highlights the complexities of creating meaningful human-AI relationships. The focus on making these virtual companions truly responsive and engaging underscores the potential of AI to become a significant part of our daily lives, especially in areas where human interaction may be limited, such as with the elderly. His vision for the future of AI companionship is particularly thought-provoking. He envisions integrating elements like gaming into these AI relationships, giving them depth and making them more engaging for users.
