Google quietly ditched plans for an AI-powered chatbot app for Gen Z

Google was moving connected an AI-powered mobile chatbot app for Gen Z users that features interactive integer characters, CNBC has learned.

However, the institution precocious "deprioritized" those efforts amid an interior reorganization, according to materials seen by CNBC. Typically, erstwhile a merchandise is deprioritized astatine Google, enactment connected it ceases.

Called "Bubble Characters," the app featured a prime of a talking integer quality that would interact successful conversations with Gen Z users, according to interior documentation viewed by CNBC. The institution had been moving connected it since Q4 2021. Google declined remark to CNBC.

The app's statement states that it featured "human-like" conversations that "take action" and are "interesting for GenZ." The conversations were powered by ample connection models, which are monolithic information sets utilized to recognize and make human-like text.

"What started retired arsenic thing from a subject fabrication novel, became the adjacent procreation of human-level conversation," the app's statement read. 

In an illustration seen by CNBC, a cartoon-like character's affable dependable engaged successful conversation, asked follow-up questions and adjacent offered narration advice.

The Gen Z chatbot was 1 among a scope of AI-powered projects utilizing Google's ample connection models successful the past respective months. Within the Assistant organization, which works connected virtual adjunct applications oregon two-way conversations for a assortment of platforms, executives person prioritized ChatGPT-competitor Bard amid an internal reorganization that included the departure of a fewer cardinal executives. Some of the Bubble Characters squad members were asked to enactment a intermission connected their enactment connected the Gen Z app to enactment connected Bard up of its launch, according to correspondence viewed by CNBC.

Meanwhile, immoderate of Google's apical AI researchers person near the institution to commencement their ain chatbot companies, drafting investments successful an different dilatory backing environment. Character.AI, a two-year-old institution gathering a companion AI chatbot led by erstwhile Google researchers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, raised $150 cardinal led by Andreessen Horowitz successful February.