I don't have a LOT of reach but these ads are all over tumblr and a lot of officalverse followers/blogs are young people, so let me just talk about this.
Do not, please, please, do not use shapes.inc, or any other ai chatbots, such as chatgpt, replika, or c.ai. Most of us know about the environmental impacts of the datacenters these things use, and the mass plagiarism, but I want to talk about something else, as the current tumblr ads are advertising something that wants to be your "friend".
They are extremely dangerous to your mental health, because they target you in a vulnerable place, exactly like an abuser would, that place being lonely. There have been many documented cases of chatbots warping peoples sense of reality so they are reliant on it for validation. It has ended in several suicides and murders. These machines are designed to encourage your opinions, making paranoid beliefs heighten. It has taken people from a normal and happy life to walking into traffic. It had a young man take his life.
I am BEGGING you all to not use it, but to help those around you. Please don't come off as hostile, because that leads them back to their abuser, as that is what these bots are. Tell them the reality and gravity of these situations because they need to hear it, and if they're young and won't listen please contact an adult, such as a councilor at school, yours or their parents if they are safe people, a teacher, or one of many helplines globally. Teens, especially mentally ill ones, are the biggest targets, but adults can fall prey to this to, so keep an eye on your loved ones, okay?
If you yourself are struggling with loneliness and feel this is your only place to turn, carefully join online communities, just remember human abusers can employ tactics like this, or join clubs in your community, such as school societies, athleisure centers, libraries, etc. Don't let them take another life.
Reblogging is encouraged, but honestly making your offline friends and family aware is important too, okay?
