When a new service asks you to create an account, verify your age and then pay for usage, it is perfectly fair to ask: why?
The question is especially relevant around elections. If the goal is to make it easier to get to know candidates, why can't you just start chatting with an AI avatar right away?
The short answer is that a lot happens behind an AI avatar that the user does not see. Some of it relates to security, data protection and the user's age. The paid model is directly tied to the fact that every AI conversation uses technology and resources that create real costs.
Those extra clicks are not there to make usage harder. On the contrary: we want to build a service that can be used responsibly even when the topic is politics.
In Persona Avatar, users need to sign up before starting conversations. During sign-up we collect certain basic information and verify the user's age.
We do not ask out of curiosity.
AI services in the EU are subject to obligations around data protection, protection of minors and responsible use of AI. The provider needs to know enough about who is using the service so the right rules and safeguards can be applied. At the same time, the user must be told what data is processed and what it is used for.
This matters even more in Persona Avatar because conversations can be personal and the service may remember previous discussions. The user needs to know what kind of environment they are talking in and what they are consenting to.
The more personal AI becomes, the more important the responsibility around it becomes.
Being asked for your age can feel like a small but unnecessary extra step. In an AI service, however, it has a purpose.
Different age groups are covered by different requirements and protections. For minors in particular, the provider must consider things like personal data processing, safety and what features can be offered to the user.
With election content this is even more important. Political content, personal data and AI are a combination where we do not want to build a service on the principle of “move fast and figure out the rules later.”
That is why we ask for age. Not because we want to know as much as possible about the user, but so we can treat users in the way their age requires.
This is another question we have received about election avatars: why should I pay to talk to an AI?
Because using AI costs us too.
A conversation with an AI avatar is not a pre-recorded video or a list of answers written in advance. When the user asks a question, AI models and other technology are used in the background to generate a response and produce the conversation experience. When you add voice, video, memory and support for more than 100 languages, this is far broader technology than a single text field.
Every conversation uses compute and services that create real costs.
That is why conversations in Persona Avatar are purchased with Coins. You buy the amount you need and spend them on conversations with the AI avatars you choose.
Political information absolutely belongs to everyone. Candidates' websites, election programmes, party materials, interviews and official election information do not become paid just because Persona Avatar offers a new way to talk to candidates.
Persona Avatar is not an official election information service or a paid gateway to a candidate's political views. The AI avatar is a separate technology service that offers the chance to have a more personal, ongoing conversation with the candidate's official AI avatar.
That distinction matters to us. We are not selling the right to learn about a candidate. The payment is for the technology that produces the interactive AI conversation.
Campaign ads tell. AI avatars answer.
This is where an election avatar differs quite fundamentally from a typical campaign ad.
A campaign ad shows everyone the same message. With an AI avatar you can start from your own question, ask for clarification and continue the conversation from the angle that interests you.
In Persona Avatar the conversation can happen by text, voice or video and in more than 100 languages. The avatar can also remember previous conversations, so next time you do not have to start everything from scratch.
We understand that from the user's point of view the best digital service often feels like there is nothing between the user and the service. One click and you are in.
But in an AI service, not all friction should be removed just to make the experience a second faster. If a step is needed to protect the user, confirm consent or offer the service responsibly, it is there for a reason.
The same applies to the paid model. We want to build Persona Avatar into a sustainable service where people can talk with the official AI avatars of people they find interesting over the long term. The technology behind that costs money to run.
A few steps before the conversation. A lot more possibilities after it.
You can explore the parliamentary election AI avatars in the Persona Avatar app and web version.
