Alex Lieberman, co-founder of newsletter startup MorningBrew, gets a lot of inquiries from entrepreneurs looking for advice. But he can’t answer all of them.
A new celebrity cloning startup wants to help.
Me4U, founded last year by two longtime startup leaders with roots in Seattle, is rolling out a library of AI-powered celebrity clones that can engage in synthetic text-based conversations with fans. The company’s chatbots use AI to mimic well-known online creators and engage in personalized dialogue across a range of categories including food, travel, fashion, business, and more. Celebrities earn revenue based on engagement.
“I’ve always wanted to be in two places at once,” Lieberman told GeekWire.
Me4U, based in New York City, is the latest venture from serial entrepreneur Keith Smith. He most recently co-founded and led Payability, a New York-based fintech company that provides e-commerce sellers with financial services.
Smith teamed up with Seattle tech vet Andy Sack on Me4U, which has raised $750,000 from angel investors.
The company’s AI clones are trained using approved content from their celebrity counterparts, capturing subject-matter expertise and personalities. Both creators and fans can set permissions for their clone during the onboarding process, ranging from generally acceptable to explicit content. The idea is to ensure the conversations are on-brand for creators and do not go “off script,” Smith said.
Some chatbots resembling experts have reportedly gone rogue when users ask them for advice. For instance, a mental health chatbot using generative AI to help individuals with eating disorders was taken offline in June after it offered unsanctioned diet advice, The Wall Street Journal reported.
For now, Me4U’s clones facilitate 1-on-1 conversations with users, but the long-term goal is to implement synchronous audio and video interactions, Smith said. The company is also adding long-term memory, allowing users to develop a “relationship” with their AI celebrity, he said.
There are other companies promising celebrities a new method of generating revenue using companion chatbots. A startup called Forever Voice partnered with Caryn Marjorie to create an AI clone based on the influencer’s YouTube videos. The chatbot reportedly generated more than $71,000 within nine days.
It also generated an ethical debate about the role of companion chatbots. Some experts expressed concerns that the bots might encourage poor behavior and foster unrealistic human-relationship expectations.
Me4U’s launch coincides with a broader debate over AI’s role in the loneliness epidemic and parasocial interaction.
“We believe that while Me4U can be a valuable tool for connection and support, it should not replace genuine human relationships,” Smith said about these concerns. “Our primary goal is to complement, not substitute. We have, and will continue to invest in rigorous ethical reviews and are collaborating with experts to ensure all of our creator Me4Us respect the boundaries set by both creators and their fans.”
He added that the company’s aim is to not cure societal loneliness. “Instead, we hold ourselves to the requirement that we will help society while also providing endless entertainment, and for some — an onramp to IRL (in real life) human interaction.”
Smith said Me4U is experimenting with various business models. Its initial plan is to offer a Netflix-like subscription, where users pay $14.99 a month to access a menu of all clones on the platform. He said celebrities will be paid through an engagement model, with earnings tied to interactions with their AI. Celebs will get half of the total revenue.
Lieberman said online creators often grapple with burnout and a reliance on ad deals. He’s excited to partner with Me4U because it seeks to address both challenges.
Lieberman, who also offers 1-on-1 consultations via the startup Intro, is among six creators who have recently agreed to have their likeness modeled by Me4U. The initial batch also includes motivational speaker Jesse Pedigo; nutritionist Natalia Lieshchynska; comedian and motivational speaker Wilfred Rivera; lifestyle creator Rebecca Jackson; and beauty influencer Connie Zen. They combine for more than 18 million followers across various platforms.
Smith previously co-founded Seattle-based consumer loyalty company BigDoor, which he sold in 2015. He was also the founder and CEO of CyberMortgage and Zango.
Sack is co-CEO of Seattle startup Forum3. He co-founded Seattle-based investment fund Founders’ Co-op, then led Techstars Seattle for five years, with one cohort producing three unicorns. After that, he worked alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as an innovation and digital transformation consultant. Most recently, he was an investor at blockchain venture fund Keen.capital.
