Anime

Serial Experiments Lain Launches AI Service, And The Irony Is Not Lost On Fans

Serial Experiments Lain Launches AI Service, And The Irony Is Not Lost On Fans

The new Lain is here… and she’s an AI chatbot.

To celebrate 25 years of the iconic cyberpunk thriller anime Serial Experiments Lain, Anique has recently launched a new AI service called “AI lain,” which allows you to interact with the show’s protagonist, Lain Iwakura, via text messages online. However, not all fans are happy to see Lain back in the form of an AI chatbot.

First released in 1998, Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological science fiction anime series that revolves around a shy 14-year-old girl named Lain Iwakura. The series introduces us to The Wired, a communication network that connects people's minds and allows for seamless interaction between the physical and digital realms. Lain becomes immersed in this interconnected world and begins to question her own identity and the nature of reality.

In the finale, Lain's journey leads to the realization that she is the one who controls The Wired. She bends down and begins to cry. Lain merges her physical and digital selves and erases people’s memories of her from existence.

While the show was purposefully left open-ended, it's hard to view it as a celebration of technological progress and the merging of artificial intelligence and human consciousness, and not a cautionary tale. Thus, when the launch of AI lain was announced, some fans called it out for being the perfect example of “Torment Nexus” – that’s when a tone-deaf company brings some dystopian fictional invention to life.

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The rise of AI chatbots is a controversial issue in and of itself: they blur the lines between humans and machines, the digital world and real life. To some lainheads, having an AI entity carry on the legacy of the anime is disrespectful to Lain and what she represents.

These concerns aren't shared by Yasuyuki Ueda, producer of the original series, who oversaw the project and helped ensure that the bot’s mannerisms were as close to the real deal as possible. The original voice of Lain, Kaori Shimizu, also took part and gave her voice recordings to the developers.

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Those who want to have unlimited access to AI lain and win merchandise giveaways can choose from two paid plan options. While some fans have already busied themselves chatting with the bot, others are disturbed by its existence, calling it a blatant “cash grab” that goes against the main message of the series.

We don’t know what Lain would’ve wanted, but it’s certainly not this, they say.

The new Lain is here… and she’s an AI chatbot.

To celebrate 25 years of the iconic cyberpunk thriller anime Serial Experiments Lain, Anique has recently launched a new AI service called “AI lain,” which allows you to interact with the show’s protagonist, Lain Iwakura, via text messages online. However, not all fans are happy to see Lain back in the form of an AI chatbot.

First released in 1998, Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological science fiction anime series that revolves around a shy 14-year-old girl named Lain Iwakura. The series introduces us to The Wired, a communication network that connects people's minds and allows for seamless interaction between the physical and digital realms. Lain becomes immersed in this interconnected world and begins to question her own identity and the nature of reality.

In the finale, Lain's journey leads to the realization that she is the one who controls The Wired. She bends down and begins to cry. Lain merges her physical and digital selves and erases people’s memories of her from existence.

While the show was purposefully left open-ended, it's hard to view it as a celebration of technological progress and the merging of artificial intelligence and human consciousness, and not a cautionary tale. Thus, when the launch of AI lain was announced, some fans called it out for being the perfect example of “Torment Nexus” – that’s when a tone-deaf company brings some dystopian fictional invention to life.

Serial Experiments Lain Launches AI Service, And The Irony Is Not Lost On Fans - image 1

The rise of AI chatbots is a controversial issue in and of itself: they blur the lines between humans and machines, the digital world and real life. To some lainheads, having an AI entity carry on the legacy of the anime is disrespectful to Lain and what she represents.

These concerns aren't shared by Yasuyuki Ueda, producer of the original series, who oversaw the project and helped ensure that the bot’s mannerisms were as close to the real deal as possible. The original voice of Lain, Kaori Shimizu, also took part and gave her voice recordings to the developers.

Serial Experiments Lain Launches AI Service, And The Irony Is Not Lost On Fans - image 2

Those who want to have unlimited access to AI lain and win merchandise giveaways can choose from two paid plan options. While some fans have already busied themselves chatting with the bot, others are disturbed by its existence, calling it a blatant “cash grab” that goes against the main message of the series.

We don’t know what Lain would’ve wanted, but it’s certainly not this, they say.