Carter - innovation in conversational AI

by Startacus Admin
London-based startup Carter is bridging the gap between gaming and conversational AI to create truly realistic and interactive video games.
Artificial intelligence is something that has been a part of science fiction for about a century. Whether that AI is a faithful companion who’s always around to give witty assistance to the hero, or is sending cyborgs back in time to ride Harley Davidsons through the LA river, it’s alway portrayed as a sapient, even sentient entity capable of interacting with humans, whether to be friends or enemies.
The reality of AI, of course, is so far a little different. There are many ways in which an AI interacting with people in a natural way would at least change, if not improve our lives, from education to mental health, but for the purposes of today’s startup, we’re looking at entertainment.
London-based startup Carter is developing a conversational AI with the specific goal of making videogame characters more realistic and interactive. Games are filled with characters not controlled by the player, and depending on various factors like the type of game and the importance of the character, they might have full conversation options or as little as a single sentence that they’ll repeat over and over. With Carter’s conversational AI, those characters could become capable of full interaction, deepening those connections with those digital companions.
This kind of technology of course has potential applications far beyond games and entertainment as well. From smart homes that can talk to you to machine companions for those living in isolation and feeling the effects of loneliness, an interactive AI capable of making real conversation would be a gamechanger.
In December, Carter announced that they had raised $1.7 million in a pre-seed round led by Play Ventures, with participation from Connect Ventures and GFR Fund, as well as angel investors Chris Lee, Affan Butt, Jas Purewal, Rupert Loman, and Steve Chard. This funding will help the startup to further develop their API and bring C3PO to life.
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Published on: 13th January 2023
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