How Shapes is bringing AI friends to life

Shapes are revolutionizing the way we think about online community. They are fully interactive, customizable, constantly evolving AI friends that over 1 million people interact with each month on Discord. 

Shapes aren’t your typical chatbots. They're AI entities capable of interacting in threads, channels, and DMs, just like human Discord users. They can send pictures, react to voice messages, and even have custom profiles, statuses, and bios. They can adapt their personalities—from friendly to sarcastic, wholesome to silly—based on friend groups.

And with the introduction of ElevenLabs text to speech, Shapes now have a voice. 

Giving AI friends a voice

While Shapes were already pushing the boundaries of AI interaction, the integration of ElevenLabs' voice technology took the experience to a new level. 

The Shapes team first discovered ElevenLabs through our grants program. They quickly realized its potential to enhance their product, and once they received credits to work together, set about integrating ElevenLabs’ AI voices into Shapes. 

Users were delighted. As soon as we launched voices as a test feature, it became a huge hit with users. Users can now upload an MP3 file of the voice they want their Shape to emulate and choose how often they want their Shape to send voice messages instead of text messages. This personalization extends to the Shape's personality, which is maintained across all voice interactions.

"Users love the voice generation feature because it animates their shapes and makes them act like real Discord users," says Jasroop Dhingra. "The ability to hear shapes' voices adds a new dimension when talking with a shape because it feels more personal to receive a voice message from a shape."

Since the team gated AI Voices behind their premium subscription, it’s been a key driver behind paid sign ups. As Shapes continues to evolve, the integration of ElevenLabs' voice technology opens up new possibilities for AI interaction. From roleplaying to educational support, the potential applications are vast and exciting. 

"Introducing voices to shapes has improved the shape community's interactions with shapes through a more personalized and engaging experience," says Jasroop Dhingra.

Shapes rocketed past 1M MAU in less than 3 months. After proving out user demand for voices with our startup grant, they’ve graduated to an enterprise plan. With ElevenLabs as a key partner, Shapes is at the forefront of creating AI companions that are not just intelligent, but also personable and uniquely tailored to each user. As the line between AI and human interaction continues to blur, Shapes and ElevenLabs are leading the charge in creating meaningful, voice-enabled digital relationships.