\n<\/p>\n
Forget stickers, GIFs, and emoji reactions. Pixi<\/a> is betting that the next evolution of messaging is interactive augmented reality (AR).<\/p>\n The startup launched its messaging-native app on the App Store<\/a> on Wednesday, allowing users to send AI-powered AR characters through iMessage. Instead of appearing as static media, the characters come to life through the recipient\u2019s iPhone camera, where they can react to their surroundings, interact with people, and respond in real time.<\/p>\n While AR isn\u2019t new and shiny anymore\u2014companies like Snap<\/a> have created AR filters and lenses for years\u2014Pixi believes its approach is different. By combining AR with on-device AI, its characters can understand what\u2019s happening around them and behave accordingly. A virtual cat, for example, reacts when a real dog walks past. (According to the company, all visual and audio processing remains on the device to preserve user privacy.)<\/p>\n Pixi founder Mark Drummond (ex-DreamWorks Animation and ex-Apple) says the app is designed to bring a greater sense of presence and spontaneity to digital conversations. Rather than sending a text to wish someone a Happy Birthday, users can send characters that create a shared experience, turning a simple message into something closer to a digital gift or playful interaction.<\/p>\n \u201cThe consumer problem we\u2019re solving is thinking of a friend when they\u2019re not present,\u201d he told TechCrunch. \u201cSometimes the psychology is called pebbling or creative gifting. You\u2019re sharing tokens of affection, basically cards, e-cards, and gifts. That\u2019s your dad, or, in some cases, your granddad\u2019s media. We can do better. We can do something that\u2019s digitally native, and that uses everything we learned about AR on the iPhone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Drummond demonstrated the app for us, selecting the cat character, which performed a series of stand-up jokes on his desk. Notably, the cat appeared to respond to Drummond\u2019s facial expressions. For instance, the experience concluded when he smiled, showcasing the character\u2019s ability to perceive emotional cues.<\/p>\n At launch, users will have access to a robot, a cat, and an animated envelope character that can react to their voice and \u201cattack\u201d their friends in a playful way. If they move, the envelope will chase them. There are also games like tic-tac-toe and whack-a-mole.<\/p>\n Pixi plans to expand beyond just a few characters. The goal is to create a marketplace where studios, brands, and independent creators can share their unique characters for users to choose from. The company envisions this being used for events like movie premieres or product launches, allowing characters to generate excitement, such as when M&Ms release a new flavor.<\/p>\n Drummond also mentioned introducing Alice in Wonderland as a character option, as she is an open intellectual property. He pointed out that \u201cour Alice character needs to react to objects that she sees on your desktop in an \u2018Alice-consistent\u2019 way,\u201d to demonstrate to partners how their creations will interact with the technology.<\/p>\n In the future, Pixi hopes to allow users to create their own characters and personalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPart of our plan is to open up those generative AI capabilities to our [users], so they can prompt their way to say something, like, \u2018I want a blue blob that threatens my friend and growls at them and keeps chasing them on the phone,\u2019\u201d Drummond explained.<\/p>\n To send a character to your friend, download the app on iOS and use iMessage by tapping the plus sign button in the lower left corner. No installation is required to receive a Pixi message.<\/p>\n Initially, the app will be available only for iPhone models 11 and newer, but there are plans to expand to Android devices and messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also, while the app is free for users, brands will have the option to charge for their characters if they choose.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to encourage people to do it for free, because then people become your own brand ambassadors. You\u2019re putting them in charge of using your characters to tell their own stories,\u201d Drummond said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n