Question: I'm looking for a platform where I can create and customize my own characters for interactive stories.

Charisma is a mature platform that lets you build virtual characters that can converse with AI-powered speech. It can be used on the web, in apps, in games and even in VR, and offers features like speech-to-text input, custom voice integration and generative AI dialogue. Its no-code story engine and extensible integration abilities make it good for developers and creatives looking for a new way to tell stories.

Another serious contender is Alethea AI, which uses Generative AI and Blockchain technology to build interactive AI characters. Its flagship product, CharacterGPT V2, offers a high-fidelity representation of appearance, voice and personality that can be customized and trained for different tasks. It's geared for building digital twins, virtual assistants and other interactive AI characters that can be owned and used in decentralized apps.

DreamCanvas is another AI-based storytelling tool that turns photos into characters and stories. It has an AI Storyboard generator and an AI Imagery Creation tool, and you can build your own content with custom character traits and dialogue. It's geared for people who aren't writers or designers, and it's free to create, with costs kicking in only when you publish your work.

Last is PlotPilot, which lets you build interactive stories with AI-powered visuals and audio and includes a character builder tool. The company encourages sharing and collaboration in the community, and it offers unlimited creative possibilities for people to get started building stories and characters. Its pricing hasn't been revealed, but it shows promise for interactive storytelling.