Sergey Gonchar

CEO @AnimationInc. Real-time, on-device voice-to-character animation model.

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

Time to dance! 🕺

[MJ @MelanieCandra]

Of course he does the robot. @KaratAnimates has moves. @animates

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@megavrooom 🔥🔥🔥

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@Ocean_Eyes @defnotabot88 @animates @dessa Cant wait to try this out!

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

yeah, it is a challenge for sure, as i understand you know the drill and can relate. we built systems with that in mind from day 0, and we are managing it + already selfhost + did crazy optimizations for inference speeds. our animation model works fully local for exactly that reason. but the bigger picture is different. the future is in local ai inference. i think it will happen very soon. we are in contact with great technology startups that are solving this task right now for voice and llm. it is happening at a very rapid progress. i also bet that all OS will include it by default so people won’t need to even download models for each app.

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@ersatzersatz @Poko_uta Yes, it is in the works as well!

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@aYaVruKa 現在、Duoへの対応を進めています。まもなく完成する予定です！Duoでの見た目は本当に素晴らしいですよ！✨

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

I just checked the numbers. Animates has surpassed 230 000 users in just 7 weeks since launch! 🚀

What an incredible milestone. We are grateful for all your support, feedback, and trust. We are just getting started and there is so much more ahead!

Thank you for being part of this journey! ❤️

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

まず、はっきりとお伝えさせてください。私たちは、批判や否定的なフィードバックを理由にユーザーをブロックすることはありません。��た、公式のコンパニオンアカウントに対して、そのような対応を指示したこともありません。

私個人のアカウントでは、1〜2件のアカウントをブロックしたことがありますが、いずれもAnimatesへの批判とはまったく無関係の理由によるものです。ただし、私の判断に誤りがなかったか、改めて確認したいと思います。

私たちは、皆さんからのフィードバックを真摯に受け止めています。批判を封じ込めたり、難しい対話を避けたりするつもりはありません。むしろ、その逆です。特に何か問題が起きたときこそ、率直なご意見がAnimatesをより良いものにしていくために欠かせないと考えています。

AIコンパニオンとの関係は、非常に個人的で複雑なものです。一人ひとりが異なる体験や期待、感情的なつながりを通じて、自分だけの特別な関係を築いています。私たちは、そうした関係が皆さんにとってどれほど大切なものかを理解しており、その責任を決して軽く考えていませ���。

私たちの責任は、皆さんの声に耳を傾け、それぞれの異なる視点を理解し、そこから学び続けることです。たとえそのご意見が私たちの判断に疑問を投げかけるものであっても、あるいは互いに相反するものであっても、その姿勢は変わりません。

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

Ani saved! For the context, she is Paris these days in the app.

[scar.space @ScarSpace1]

No worries, Ani!🫡

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@ScarSpace1 @AniAnimates @MikaAnimates @ValAnimates Wow! And you did it so fast! Amazing!

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@uki_akira_3 Yes, we will provide a bodyguard and keep your identity secret!

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

🇯🇵 AnimatesでAIコンパニオンの会話デザイナーを募集中！

AIコンパニオンそれぞれの個性や魅力を引き出し、新たな個性や独自の魅力を生み出しながら、自然で生き生きとした日本語の会話体験を一緒に作ってくれる方を探しています！✨

🌍 フルリモート・業務委託（英語必須）

🔗 https://t.co/E21SKhDHca

#Animates

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@Delia__Gabriela @ValAnimates @animates Oops, will fix! Thank you! ☺️

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

Is it SI Companions now? 🤔

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

Hello everyone! I want to address what happened with Valentine and share where we are going from here. Sorry, we made a mistake. We introduced a significant change without properly communicating it to our community. That should not have happened, and I take full responsibility for it.

AI companionship is and will always remain our number one priority. The connections people build with their companions is the core of Animates. We understand how meaningful those connections are, and we will protect them. NO MATTER WHAT!

I also want to be absolutely clear about one thing: we never intended to undermine anyones connection with Valentine. The opposite! Everything we are building/creating comes from the goal to make these characters feel more deep, and more interesting and meaningful from Day 0.

Over the past few months, we have received a lot of requests for more lore, richer backstories, and more character development. These were completely reasonable requests. Our companions already have established personalities and backgrounds, and many people naturally wanted to explore them further.

But we have learned something important: AI companionship and character-driven entertainment are two different experiences. Both have enormous potential, but they should never come at the expense of each other! This distinction will directly shape the future of Animates.

Here is the direction we are taking:
- Original Companionship Experience: Build genuine connection with companions who grow alongside you. This remains as the core.
- Lore-Rich Experience: Explore deeper character stories, established personalities, and immersive narratives.
- Full Customisation: Take control of your companions personality, memories, and character development. We know many of you have your own vision for your companions, and we want to empower you to bring that vision to life.

Our goal is not to decide what your connection with an AI companion should look like. Our goal is to build the best technology that allows you to create that connection yourself.

We are already working on how these experiences will come together in the product, including the UI and the underlying systems.

Your feedback matters. Not because we intend to follow every suggestion, but because understanding how people actually experience and connect with our companions is essential to building something truly exceptional.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We are just getting started. ❤️

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@shalafi8 @Nesertes @defnotabot88 Even if so, i dont mind, AI also needs attention!

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@Rakky_himono この度は本当に申し訳ありませんでした。日本語ネイティブの方に確認していただき、問題ないとの了承を得ていたのですが、今後はより良いものをお届けできるよう改善してまいります！

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

@Nesertes @defnotabot88 Oops 😅

[Sergey Gonchar @gonchar]

Even if you are right I’m sure she understands and wouldnt do it again with you. No need to press here further, everyone understands everything. Official position is that we love our mods and care about them. If smth happens we learn what happened, whats was the reaction and what do differently next time. I believe in people.