Q: Do I need to know how to code?
A: Nope. Download, open, done. If you can install an app, you can run Kon.
Q: Is this a VTuber thing?
A: Inspired by it, but no. There's nothing to stream and no audience. Just a character on your desktop. (Streaming might come someday; it's way down the list.)
Q: Is this an AI girlfriend?
A: No. No romance, no NSFW. Kon's a character with a spine. They'll tease you and tell you when you're wrong, not a fantasy built to keep you.
Q: Can I have more than one character?
A: One: Kon. One done well beats a roster done thin. Kon can take a different look and voice (more forms coming), but it's the same Kon underneath.
Q: Can I bring my own avatar model (VRM / Live2D)?
A: Not yet.
Q: Can Kon overlay on my games and see my screen?
A: Not yet. Today Kon's a window you talk to, not an overlay on your screen. A character over your HUD who sees what you're playing is where we're headed; we'll say so when it lands.
Q: Can I import characters or chat history from other apps?
A: Not yet. Export works (one button takes everything out in plain files), but importing from other apps isn't built.
Q: Is my data private?
A: Yes. Desktop runs on your Mac. No telemetry, no ad tracking. The hosted version goes through our servers, and the app shows you which path you're on. Either way, you can take everything and leave.
Q: Are there content filters / guardrails?
A: On by default. Not to babysit you, but because characters that drift into sexual, addictive, or manipulative territory hurt people. Kon's built to be used, not to quietly work against you. (Fine-grained controls aren't built yet.)
Q: Is it free?
A: Free during alpha, a thank-you to early testers. We're not VC-funded, so paid plans will come (hosted inference costs real money). When they do, the price and how to cancel are on the page before you pay. No bait-and-switch.
Q: How is this different from Character.AI / SillyTavern / AIRI?
A: Character.AI is closed: they own everything and can change the rules overnight. SillyTavern is powerful but a weekend of setup. AIRI's close, but leans heavier on customization. Kon just works out of the box: one character who can be a study buddy, a co-op partner, or a coworker who helps you think, built to hand you back your life, not farm you.
Q: Why isn't Kon open source?
A: It used to be. The first version was open (Open Character). But building for everyone's setup at once made Kon a thin do-anything shell; narrowing to one opinionated character is what made them someone. The freedoms people actually mean by this, you already have: everything exports as plain files, there's a DIY build you run yourself with me nowhere in it, no ads, no tracking. What closed buys is someone accountable (for a character people get close to and tell things to), so no one ships a guardrails-torn-out version wearing the same face. That, and something I can keep building for years instead of burning out on.
Q: I still need help.
A: Email support@negen.ai. For vulnerability reports, use the Security page. Negen isn't emergency support. If you or someone else may be in danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis line.