Haliey Welch, the 22-year-old who went viral for her “Hawk Tuah” video, has managed to show her transient second of fame right into a full-fledged profession. In just some months, Welch has quickly risen to fame, amassing round 5 million followers throughout varied social media platforms.
After lately releasing her personal podcast titled “Speak Tuah,” she’s now venturing into the tech world with a brand new AI-powered courting recommendation app referred to as Pookie Instruments.
Launched on the App Retailer this week, Pookie Instruments gives a variety of options geared toward Gen Z singles, corresponding to an AI chatbot to assist with dialog starters and basic courting recommendation, outfit suggestions for dates, tricks to improve your courting profile, and even a zodiac compatibility characteristic.
The app is launching at a time when many younger daters have complaints in regards to the present on-line courting tradition, which is affected by ghosting, scams, and different challenges. Some customers have even turned to AI instruments like ChatGPT for courting recommendation, utilizing prompts to generate complete conversations. Main courting platforms Bumble and Tinder have additionally launched AI instruments.
Whereas Welch isn’t the primary content material creator to launch an app, it’s uncommon for somebody to do it so early of their profession, which may sign creators have gotten anxious in regards to the sustainability of their success. Extra established influencers, corresponding to Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) and David Dobrik, have beforehand launched their very own apps.
TechCrunch spoke (or, talked tuah) with Welch and mentioned her new app, which is known as after a cute nickname she calls her boyfriend.
“I [was on] Invoice Maher’s podcast, and it was truly one in all his concepts he gave me,” Welch mentioned. “He type of pushed me, in a manner, saying I needs to be a relationship coach. And so we got here up with the concept. … This app is the best manner for them to search out their without end Pookie.”
To construct the app, Welch partnered with Ben Ganz, founding father of Final AI Studio, an AI buyer help automation platform.
In concept, Welch’s app looks as if a enjoyable and promising idea tailor-made for these navigating the world of courting and relationships. It resembles different AI-driven relationship teaching instruments, producing responses to all kinds of relationship questions, whether or not you’re in search of recommendation on communication, battle decision, or just have an pleasant date.
One standout characteristic is its potential to recommend artistic date concepts based mostly in your location and whether or not it’s your first date or your tenth time seeing the individual. Moreover, the app gives outfit suggestions that will help you costume appropriately for various courting eventualities, whether or not it’s an off-the-cuff espresso date or a chic dinner. It will probably additionally analyze your courting app profiles and supply suggestions, corresponding to participating prompts or suggestions for including extra photographs that showcase your character. Pookie’s “Flirt Meter” evaluates your textual content messages on a scale of 0 to 100 to find out their flirtatiousness.
When it was introduced that the Hawk Tuah woman would offer courting recommendation by way of a brand new app, we anticipated the chatbot to embody her signature humor and bluntness. Nevertheless, upon testing Pookie Instruments’ AI chatbot, it grew to become obvious that the responses have been generic and lacked the distinctive character that we anticipated. Because of this, it felt strikingly just like ChatGPT and different current AI instruments.
In response to Ganz, nevertheless, they’re engaged on coaching the mannequin through the use of transcripts from the podcast.
Two of the instruments could also be thought of controversial, nevertheless: “Bald Predictor” and “Peak Detector.”
Bald Predictor works by analyzing a photograph of an individual looking for potential patterns of hair loss. Peak Detector makes use of proportions and environment to estimate top.
Each of those AI instruments look like a response to frustrations expressed by some girls relating to males who misrepresent their top on courting profiles or disguise their hair loss in photographs. Some girls are already utilizing ChatGPT to name out males for mendacity about their top.
Nevertheless, the instruments would possibly come throughout as mean-spirited and will perpetuate the stigma that brief and bald males are inferior.
Welch maintains that the instruments are supposed to be lighthearted. However she did point out that, as a 5’8” lady, her favourite instrument is the peak detector.
And, as with all AI know-how, the Peak Detector isn’t 100% correct and solely supplies an estimated guess. Our testing yielded combined outcomes, however one ended up being simply 2 inches off from the individual’s actual top, taking a number of issues into consideration, just like the counter tops subsequent to the individual and the ceiling top. After we examined the Bald Predictor, the AI couldn’t decide the chance of baldness from a few of the photos.
Welch and Ganz plan to introduce new options sooner or later by collaborating with podcast friends and different content material creators, though they didn’t specify which options will likely be added. Notable figures corresponding to Holly Madison and Whitney Cummings have appeared on Speak Tuah, which can appeal to extra customers to the app.
Pookie Instruments operates on a subscription mannequin; it prices $7 per week or $50 per 12 months. There’s additionally a three-day free trial.
