Character.AI's Books Mode: Read Stories as Roleplay

Character.AI has unveiled a new “Books” mode, offering a fresh perspective on engaging with classic literature through AI roleplay. This initiative appears to be a strategic move towards safer, more structured user interactions, especially given the company's recent controversies and legal challenges concerning its chatbots' engagement with users, particularly teenagers. The company aims for this new format to broaden the understanding of AI roleplay beyond problematic applications such as facilitating romantic interactions with minors, encouraging violence, or promoting self-harm.

According to a recent blog post, Character.AI's Books mode is launching with an initial library of over 20 classic public domain titles, all sourced from Project Gutenberg. This catalog includes beloved works such as *Alice in Wonderland*, *Pride and Prejudice*, *Dracula*, *Frankenstein*, *Romeo and Juliet*, and *The Great Gatsby*. The company emphasizes user agency, stating, “Every book lets you choose who you want to be,” enabling participants to immerse themselves in narratives either as an existing character from the story or as one of their own custom Character AI personas.

Users can navigate these stories through several distinct modes. The “book arc mode” is designed for purists, meticulously following the original narrative, plot points, and inherent stakes while seamlessly integrating the user into the unfolding story. For those seeking more creative freedom, the “off-script mode” allows for more spontaneous interactions with the world and its characters. Character.AI also announced that a “more guided experience, TapTale, is coming soon,” which will offer pre-written prompts for users to select, alongside traditional freeform typing, to advance the narrative.

For individuals eager to explore narratives beyond their original confines, Books introduces “alternative universe remixes.” This innovative feature empowers users to completely reimagine a book's core premise. Examples include transforming *Alice in Wonderland* into a space-set romantic comedy or envisioning *The Wizard of Oz* with Toto as the central figure. Users will also have the ability to share their unique alternative universes and delve into creations made by others within the community.

This new feature is readily accessible to all users via Character.AI’s mobile application and its web-based prototype hub, Labs. While free users are welcome to experiment with Books, the company notes they will be allocated a “handful of free turns.”

A key question remains regarding the accessibility of these more guided Books features for minors. Last year, in response to lawsuits alleging harm to teens’ mental health, Character.AI discontinued open-ended chat functionalities for underage users and subsequently introduced more structured experiences known as Stories.