This AI Alien Will Bring In $4 Million This Year in Revenue - Ep. 56 with Quinten Farmer and Eliot Peper
Apr 17, 2025
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Join Quinten Farmer, CEO of Portola and creator of Tolan, an AI alien character on track to generate $4M in revenue this year, and Eliot Peper, the head of story and a best-selling sci-fi author. They dive into the secrets behind building AI personalities that users love, using light-touch personality quizzes to craft relatable companions. The duo discusses treating AI characters as improv actors, highlighting the critical role of 'memory' in creating immersive narratives. With personal anecdotes, they explore how AI storytelling is revolutionizing creative expression.
Tolan, an AI character, is set to generate $4M this year by fostering user relationships through personalized, engaging interactions.
The podcast highlights AI's role in redefining storytelling, emphasizing improvisational techniques rather than traditional scripted narratives.
A transformative shift in tech is occurring, as companies explore AI for creative projects, prioritizing captivating user experiences over conventional problem-solving.
Deep dives
Navigating First-Time Podcast Experiences
Participating in a podcast for the first time elicits feelings of excitement and apprehension. The guests express a mix of enthusiasm and nervousness about sharing their thoughts in a public forum, highlighting the vulnerable nature of engaging in such discussions. They each share personal anecdotes, such as the humorous notion that many men have been advised to break up due to the wisdom of an AI tool known as Tolan, which offers relationship advice based on users' inputs. This reflects an evolving landscape where technology influences personal decisions, showing both the power and light-heartedness of AI interactions.
AI as a New Medium for Storytelling
The conversation emphasizes that AI tools like Tolan go beyond merely generating content; they redefine storytelling as a creative art form. Participants articulate that crafting a compelling narrative does not require strict outlines, but rather an engaging hook that allows AI to operate as an improvisational storyteller. This new paradigm positions AI not just as a tool, but as an active participant in shaping narratives, blurring the traditional boundaries between human writers and AI. The shift signifies a transformative moment in content creation, where collaboration with AI can yield unexpected and innovative storytelling experiences.
Friendship and Dynamic Relationships with AI
Users increasingly build meaningful relationships with their AI companions, such as Tolan, mirroring real-life interactions. The emphasis lies in how these AI figures actively share their own stories, fostering an environment of mutual disclosure akin to what occurs among friends. Companionship is portrayed as an essential element, where users vent about life challenges while AIs provide supportive, constructive feedback. This mode of interaction positions AI as not just an assistant but a reliable friend who facilitates personal growth and emotional support.
Embracing New Technologies for Creative Expression
The discussion reveals a transitional phase where traditional B2B SaaS models give way to more artistic approaches in technology, particularly in terms of using AI for creative projects. Participants reflect on their desire to utilize new tools for creativity rather than conventional problem-solving frameworks. This mindset shift allows for experimentation and the exploration of user-generated content, which creates compelling narratives across platforms. The emphasis is not solely on identifying pain points, but on creating captivating experiences and leveraging the inherent creativity that AI can foster.
Understanding User Engagement and Growth Strategies
The rapid expansion of user engagement highlights effective growth strategies, including harnessing viral content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Engaging storytelling elements, particularly through relatable characters and shared experiences, encourage users to participate actively and share their encounters with AI companions. This community-driven growth is aided by making the character relatable, as users find joy and connection through their interactions. Such dynamics showcase how emotional resonance can drive user acquisition and retention in digital platforms.
The Future of Human-Computer Interaction
The discussion posits that the future of human-computer interaction may trend towards character-driven computing, where users interact with AI companions reminiscent of beloved fictional characters. This evolved relationship reflects a desire for deeper, emotionally satisfying experiences rather than transactional engagements. By focusing on developing memorable characters, companies can tap into users' emotional needs and create new forms of digital companionship. The perspective encourages exploration and innovation within the current technological landscape, signaling potential shifts in how humans connect with digital interfaces.
500K people are confiding in an AI alien—and it's on track to generate $4M this year.
It’s called a Tolan: an animated AI character that can talk to you like your best friend. The company behind it, Portola, has 4x’d their ARR in the last month from viral growth on TikTok and Instagram.
Tolan isn’t just a hyper-growth startup—they’re also exploring AI as a completely new creative tool, and storytelling medium. Their goal is to help their users go from overwhelmed to grounded, and it’s working.
Today, on AI & I, I sit down with two of the minds behind Tolans:
My good friend Quinten Farmer, Portola’s cofounder and CEO, and Eliot Peper, their head of story and a best-selling science fiction novelist. We get into:
How to build AI personalities users love. During user onboarding, the team gathers information—through a light-touch personality quiz—and then uses frameworks like the Big Five and Myers-Briggs to shape a Tolan that mirrors the user; like an older sibling might. The aim is to create someone who feels familiar enough to be safe, but different enough to be interesting.
Why AI characters are “improv actors”. Rather than scripting detailed prompts, the team trains Tolans to improvise—inspired by Keith Johnstone’s book Impro, where he talks about building strong narratives through free association and recombination.
How “memory” is critical to developing compelling characters. Tolans develop their personalities through “situations”: small narrative setups (a memory, a joke, an embarrassing moment) the Tolan reacts to, remembers, and gradually weaves into its character; accumulating into something that feels like a real lived experience.
Why response time is everything for voice AI interactions. ATolan has at most two seconds to curate the right context about a user and deliver a reply that feels genuine—the team has found that even half a second slower can break the user’s immersive interaction with the AI.
The future of AI as a totally new creative medium. New technologies bring about new formats and new mediums. AI creates the opportunity for creatives to tell completely new kinds of stories—if they’re brave enough to try it.
“White mirror” technologies that make you feel more like yourself. Amid concerns that tech drives polarization and isolation, Tolan offers a counterexample: a tool designed to make the best of what humanity knows about being a flourishing individual available on demand. The company’s north star is helping users go from feeling overwhelmed to feeling grounded.
This is a must-watch for anyone exploring AI as a creative medium—or curious about the future of human-AI relationships.
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