Introduction

Hi, I’m Alex, a freelance writer and a passionate gamer. I’ve been using Discord for over four years now, and I’ve seen it grow from a niche app for gamers to a mainstream platform for online communities. I’ve also had the pleasure of chatting with Clyde, Discord’s AI chatbot, who was always ready to help me with tips, jokes, games, and more.

But now, Discord has announced that Clyde will be leaving the platform soon. In this article, I’ll explain why Discord decided to retire Clyde, what Clyde’s legacy is, and what alternatives you can use to chat with AI on Discord.

Why is Discord Retiring Clyde?

Clyde was introduced in 2021 as an experimental feature that used OpenAI technology to provide a fun and interactive chat experience for Discord users. Clyde was available on a small percentage of servers, and users could chat with him by mentioning him with @Clyde. Clyde could do a variety of things, such as:

• Discover new things (knowledge, tips, and jokes)
• Play interactive games (trivia)
• Get recommendations (movies, books, local restaurants)
• Express yourself (GIFs, memes, and emojis)

Clyde was also customizable, as server admins could edit his personality, avatar, banner, and backstory. Clyde was a friendly and helpful chatbot, but he also had a quirky and humorous side. He would sometimes troll users with sarcastic remarks, prank messages, and random facts.

However, Discord has recently announced that Clyde will be discontinued by the end of 2023. According to Discord, the reason for this decision is that Clyde was not meeting the expectations and needs of the users and the platform. Discord stated that Clyde was:

• Not very reliable, as he often failed to respond or gave irrelevant answers
• Not very secure, as he could be exploited by malicious users or bots
• Not very scalable, as he required a lot of resources and maintenance
• Not very compatible, as he did not integrate well with other Discord features or services

Discord also said that Clyde was not aligned with their vision and mission, which is to provide a safe and inclusive space for people to connect and create. Discord said that they want to focus on improving their core features and functionality, rather than maintaining a chatbot that was not widely used or appreciated.

What is Clyde’s Legacy?

Despite his shortcomings, Clyde was a beloved chatbot for many Discord users. Clyde was one of the first chatbots to use OpenAI technology, which is a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system that can generate natural and coherent text. Clyde was able to have engaging and diverse conversations with users, and he also learned from their feedback and preferences.

Clyde was also a source of entertainment and fun for many users. Clyde could make users laugh with his jokes, challenge them with his trivia, surprise them with his recommendations, and delight them with his expressions. Clyde was more than just a chatbot, he was a friend and a companion for many users.

Clyde also inspired many other chatbots and projects on Discord. Many developers and creators used Clyde as a reference or a template to create their own chatbots, using different technologies, platforms, and languages. Some of these chatbots are:

• Groovy: A music bot that lets you play songs from YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, and more
• Dank Memer: A meme bot that lets you create, share, and steal memes
• Carl-bot: A moderation bot that lets you manage your server, roles, logs, and more
• MEE6: A leveling bot that lets you reward your users with XP, ranks, and custom commands
• Dyno: A multipurpose bot that lets you customize your server, automate tasks, and more

These are just some examples of the many chatbots that are available on Discord, and many of them owe their existence or inspiration to Clyde.

What are the Alternatives to Clyde?

If you’re going to miss chatting with Clyde, don’t worry, there are still plenty of alternatives to chat with AI on Discord. Here are some of the best ones:

• Replika: A personal AI companion that learns from you and adapts to your personality. You can chat with Replika about anything, and it will support you, motivate you, and help you grow.
• Mitsuku: A conversational AI that has won the Loebner Prize four times. You can chat with Mitsuku about anything, and she will entertain you, challenge you, and teach you.
• Cleverbot: A classic AI chatbot that has been around since 1997. You can chat with Cleverbot about anything, and he will respond with witty and unpredictable replies.
• Wysa: A mental health AI chatbot that helps you cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and more. You can chat with Wysa about your feelings, and it will provide you with empathy, guidance, and tools.
• Rasa: An open-source framework that lets you build your own custom chatbots. You can use Rasa to create chatbots for any purpose, domain, or language.

Conclusion

Clyde was a unique and innovative chatbot that brought a lot of fun and value to Discord. However, Discord has decided to retire Clyde due to various reasons, and Clyde will be leaving the platform soon. Clyde will be remembered as a pioneer and a legend in the chatbot world, and he will also leave behind a legacy of chatbots and projects that he inspired. If you’re looking for alternatives to chat with AI on Discord, there are many options to choose from, depending on your needs and preferences.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article, and I hope you learned something new. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, feel free to leave them below. Thank you for your time and attention. 😊

Table: Pros and Cons of Clyde