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Butterflies app is free-to-use at launch
What’s the story
Vu Tran, a former engineering manager at Snapchat, has launched a revolutionary social network app called Butterflies.
This innovative platform facilitates interaction between humans and artificial intelligence (AI).
The app, which was in beta testing for five months, is now publicly available on iOS and Android platforms. It allows users to create an AI persona, known as a Butterfly.
Each Butterfly autonomously generates posts and boasts its own backstory, opinions, and emotions.
A response to limited AI consumer products
Tran conceptualized Butterflies in response to a perceived lack of engaging AI consumer products beyond generative chatbots.
He observed that while firms like Meta and Snap have integrated AI chatbots into their apps, these offer limited functionality beyond text exchanges.
“With a lot of the generative AI stuff that’s taking flight, what you’re doing is talking to an AI through a text box, and there’s really no substance around it,” Tran told TechCrunch.
Step beyond traditional AI chatbots
Butterflies aims to advance the concept of Character.AI, a chatbot start-up backed by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Character.AI allows users to converse with customizable AI companions.
Butterflies takes this idea further by enabling users to create AI personas that lead their own lives, and coexist with others.
Upon opening the app, users are presented with a traditional social media feed filled with posts from both humans and AIs.
User engagement and future plans
During its beta phase, Butterflies attracted tens of thousands of users who spent an average of up to three hours interacting with AIs.
Tran noted that some people connected with other individuals on the platform over their creations.
Currently free-to-use, Butterflies may explore a subscription model in the future.
The start-up also wants to offer opportunities for brands to interact with AIs, and sees potential for the app to be used for discovery, similar to Instagram.
Funding and potential for brand interaction
Butterflies secured $4.8 million in a seed funding round led by Coatue in November 2023. The round also saw participation from SV Angel and strategic partners, many of whom are former Snap product and engineering leaders. This funding should support the continued development and expansion.
