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Queer Eyes life coach Karamo Brown launches Kē, a wellness app featuring his AI digital clone
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Karamo Brown, famous for his pep talks on Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” has jumped into the wellness and AI space with his new app, Kē. After spending a year and a half focusing on his own journey—from fitness and nutrition to meditation, sobriety, relationships, and personal growth—Brown wants to help others do the same. Kē offers a slew of features designed to support users, including personalized fitness plans that cater to users’ existing workout equipment and schedules, as well as nutrition guidance by suggesting meal plans based on the food users have at home. Users have the flexibility to request adjustments to their fitness and meal plans through an AI chatbot, making it easy to customize their experience. Plus, each workout is paired with guided instructional videos to ensure correct form. Image Credits:Screenshot of Kē app on iOS On the mental health front, Kē includes a meditation section with videos targeting various emotions, helping users manage stress and anxiety. There’s also a community section for users to engage in supportive groups focused on shared experiences, such as sobriety or wellness discussions. But what really sets Kē apart is its “AI Karamo” feature that lets users talk with a digital version of Karamo. They can ask questions and get advice in real-time, delivered in his voice. Powered by AI startup Delphi, the clone pulls from all sorts of material from Brown—like interviews, podcast episodes, and other clips—to ensure it represents him as authentically as possible. (Arnold Schwarzenegger also has his own digital clone with Delphi.) “My best friend and sister to this day still talk to the AI clone when they can’t get hold of me,” Brown told TechCrunch. Image Credits:Screenshot of Kē app on iOS Brown’s new app reflects a bigger trend, where more celebrities are getting on board with AI. For example, stars like Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have partnered with ElevenLabs to license their voices for digital replicas. However, many celebrities are publicly expressing their concerns and taking action against the rise of AI, particularly regarding the unauthorized use of their likenesses and voices in creating digital clones. There has also been a bit of concern about fans forming one-sided emotional attachments to celebrity chatbots. Brown emphasizes that Kē isn’t meant to replace real relationships; instead, it’s a tool to aid in personal development and encourage people to reach out for real support when needed. “If someone is struggling with a sensitive issue, it can direct them toward appropriate resources and remind them to seek support from real people in their lives… At the end of the day, this is meant to be a tool that helps people reflect, learn, and grow, and it’s not a substitute for human connection,” Brown said. When asked if there’s a limit on the frequency of interactions with his digital clone, Brown replied, “People can talk to it as much as they need. That said, the goal isn’t to keep users talking to the AI indefinitely. It’s designed to help people make progress in their lives.” He also mentions that there are safeguards in place to keep interactions safe, with a team of humans overseeing the app. (However, users should keep in mind that using the AI feature means they’re sharing their conversation data with Delphi, so it’s smart to avoid disclosing sensitive info.) He adds, “When AI first started becoming part of the conversation a few years ago, I was honestly pretty skeptical. But the technology has evolved significantly, and what changed my perspective was seeing how thoughtfully companies like Delphi have approached it.” In the future, Delphi plans to introduce agentic capabilities to Kē to perform tasks on users’ behalf. For instance, if AI Karamo gives you advice on your workout routine, it may one day be able to go into the “My Plan” tab for you and adjust it immediately. Kē is now available on iOS and Android devices. The subscription costs $14.99/month a
Meta’s attempt to pioneer a metaverse and make VR cool totally flopped, except for one shining diamond in the rough: Supernatural, a VR fitness game that made working out feel fun and accessible. Now, users can rejoice that Supernatural isn’t shutting down after all. Meta went through the hassle of fighting an eight-month antitrust battle so that it could acquire Within, the game studio that made Supernatural, in 2023. The deal was reportedly worth around $400 million, plus however much it costs to fight and win an FTC lawsuit. Yet after all that effort, Meta laid off much of its VR team and announced that it would stop adding new content just a few years later. But Meta had a rare moment of mercy and listened to the Supernatural users who protested the app’s sad fate. About five months later, Meta is now letting the Supernatural team spin off into a new independent company called Supernatural Health, which will take over the app later this year. “Supernatural is being reborn. Same coaches, same DNA, same obsession with making fitness feel like the best part of your day — now under a new, independent company we’re starting from the ground up,” Supernatural Health says on its website. Who’s behind Supernatural Health? The original founders, of course. It’s a happy ending, yet it’s maddening. It’s the regulatory equivalent of a high schooler confessing their undying love to their crush through an elaborate prom-posal, then navigating a tense dinner with their date’s parents to prove they have good intentions, only to break up right after the dance. “We’re grateful for the platform and resources Meta provided during a critical growth phase,” Supernatural Health wrote. “This transition reflects a shared belief that Supernatural’s community is best served by a focused, independent team. Meta has been supportive throughout.” I’ll be over here pulling my hair out at how dumb this whole situation has been, but at least I know that one online community has escaped the harsh anvil of big tech. “Like so many of us I was so devastated when the coaches were let go and we were told our beloved Supernatural, while we loved it and it was great, would never get any better than it was. What we had was what we had. We all felt like it was purchased to kill,” one user wrote in the public Supernatural Facebook group. “I am such a sap. Why am I tearing up?” When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal. View Bio
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