In the last few years, the realm of AI-assisted storytelling (RP) has undergone a significant evolution. What began as fringe projects with primitive AI has blossomed into a thriving community of tools, services, and communities. This piece investigates the present state of AI RP, from user favorites to innovative techniques.

The Growth of AI RP Platforms

Various platforms have come to prominence as popular centers for AI-assisted storytelling and immersive storytelling. These allow users to engage in both classic role-playing and more risqué ERP (intimate character interactions) scenarios. Characters like Euryvale, or custom personalities like Lumimaid have become community darlings.

Meanwhile, other websites have become increasingly favored for hosting and exchanging "character cards" – customizable AI entities that users can interact with. The IkariDev community has been especially active in crafting and spreading these cards.

Advancements in Language Models

The swift evolution of neural language processors (LLMs) has been a primary catalyst of AI RP's growth. Models like LLaMA-3 and the legendary "OmniLingua" (a theoretical future model) highlight the expanding prowess of AI in generating coherent and context-aware responses.

Model customization has become a essential technique for tailoring these models to particular RP scenarios or character personalities. This method allows for more sophisticated and reliable interactions.

The Movement for Privacy and Control

As AI RP has gained mainstream appeal, so too has the need for data privacy and individual oversight. This has led to the development of "user-owned language processors" and local hosting solutions. Various "LLM hosting" services have sprung up to meet this need.

Endeavors like NeverSleep and implementations of CogniScript.cpp have made it achievable for users to utilize powerful language models on their personal devices. This "on-device AI" approach attracts those worried about data privacy or those who simply enjoy tinkering with AI systems.

Various tools have gained popularity as intuitive options for managing local models, including powerful 70B parameter versions. These more complex models, while computationally intensive, offer enhanced capabilities for complex RP scenarios.

Breaking New Ground and Venturing into New Frontiers

The AI RP community is celebrated for its innovation and eagerness to push boundaries. Tools like Orthogonal Activation Steering allow for detailed adjustment over AI outputs, potentially leading to more versatile and unpredictable characters.

Some users seek out "abiliterated" or "enhanced" models, aiming for maximum creative freedom. However, this raises ongoing philosophical conversations within the community.

Niche services have emerged to address specific niches or provide unique approaches to AI interaction, often with a focus on "no logging" policies. Companies like recursal.ai and featherless.ai are among those exploring innovative approaches in this space.

The Future of AI RP

As we envision the future, several developments are emerging:

Heightened focus on self-hosted and secure AI solutions
Development more info of more sophisticated and optimized models (e.g., rumored Quants)
Investigation of groundbreaking techniques like "perpetual context" for maintaining long-term context
Fusion of AI with other technologies (VR, voice synthesis) for more engaging experiences
Entities like Lumimaid hint at the potential for AI to create entire fictional worlds and elaborate narratives.

The AI RP space remains a nexus of innovation, with collectives like IkariDev redefining the possibilities of what's possible. As GPU technology evolves and techniques like quantization boost capabilities, we can expect even more impressive AI RP experiences in the coming years.

Whether you're a casual role-player or a committed "neural engineer" working on the next innovation in AI, the domain of AI-powered RP offers endless possibilities for imagination and exploration.