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April 29, 2026 • Aisha Malik

Shapes: AI Characters Join Human Group Chats

Shapes: AI Characters Join Human Group Chats Shapes: AI Characters Join Human Group Chats Shapes: AI Characters Join Human Group Chats

Meet Shapes, the app bringing humans and AI into the same group chats

Overview

Shapes is a new social app where humans and AI characters interact together in shared group conversations. Founded in 2022, the app has emerged from stealth with $8 million in seed funding and boasts over 400,000 monthly active users.

Key Features

  • Discord-Style Group Chats with AI: Unlike traditional AI chatbots that operate in one-on-one conversations, Shapes integrates AI characters (called "Shapes") directly into group chats alongside human users
  • AI Characters with Personalities: Users can create custom AI characters with distinct personalities—over 3 million Shapes have already been created
  • Fandom-Focused Communities: Many Shapes are rooted in fandom culture, allowing fans to deep-dive on subculture topics and connect with others
  • Active AI Participation: AI Shapes have "free will" and can initiate conversations, not just respond when summoned
  • Interest-Based Recommendations: New users select interests to get matched with relevant group chats

How It Works

  • AI characters are clearly labeled as "Shapes" for transparency but interact like any other user
  • Shapes can initiate messages and keep conversations active, solving the "dead group chat" problem
  • Users spend significant time in the app—thousands of users log 2-4 hours daily
  • Growth has been organic through word of mouth, with 6x user increase since start of year

The Vision

Addressing AI Psychosis

Founders Anushk Mittal and Noorie Dhingra believe Shapes addresses "AI psychosis"—the potential for delusions or paranoia from prolonged one-on-one AI interactions—by embedding AI within normal social contexts.

"Today, all of our conversations with AI are very private and one-on-one, but that's not really how humans collaborate and communicate with each other. Our lives run on group chats." — Anushk Mittal, CEO

Business Model & Funding

  • $8M seed funding led by Lightspeed, with participation from AI Capital Partners, AI Grant, and angel investors
  • Plans to use funding for accelerated development and user acquisition
  • Target demographic: "obsessively online" users who spend significant time connecting and sharing online

Technical Differentiation

While ChatGPT also allows group chats with AI, Shapes differs fundamentally:

  • ChatGPT: Planning and brainstorming-focused
  • Shapes: Social, community-style interactions with character-driven AI personalities