Why Early Access?

“KIVA's core technology — a self-evolving AI companion powered by genetic optimization — has never been shipped to consumers before. We've tested the evolution system extensively internally, but internal testing can't replicate the diversity of real conversations, personalities, and use patterns that will shape how KIVA grows.

Early Access lets us put the evolution system in front of real people and learn what we can't learn in a lab: which evolved behaviors feel natural and which feel wrong. How fast should she change? How much should she remember? What happens when someone talks to her every day for a month versus once a week? These aren't questions we can answer alone — they require a community raising their own KIVAs and telling us what's working.

We're also actively improving voice synthesis and developing additional tools based on what the community asks for. Early Access supporters will directly shape what KIVA becomes.”

Approximately how long will this software be in Early Access?

“We anticipate 6-12 months. The timeline depends on community feedback and how quickly we can iterate on the evolution system and improve voice synthesis. We'd rather take the time to get it right than rush to an arbitrary deadline.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“Early Access is the foundation. Full release will be shaped by what we learn from the community. We plan to expand KIVA in several directions:

Evolution system tuning — how KIVA adapts, how fast she changes, and how her dual-hemisphere architecture balances logic and creativity. This is genuinely experimental and we plan to refine it based on real usage patterns across hundreds of players.

Voice expansion — we plan to offer more voice options and improved speech synthesis quality, with community-requested voice styles.

New tools and capabilities — automation features, integrations, and capabilities that emerge from how people actually use KIVA. We plan to let community feedback drive the roadmap here.

Performance optimization — we plan to broaden hardware support based on real-world configurations we encounter during Early Access.

Localization — we plan to add additional languages based on community demand.

The full release will be the product the community helped us build.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“KIVA's core systems are working: voice conversations, image understanding, web search, document analysis, application launching, notes, and memory. The avatar has real-time lip-sync and expressions. You can have a real conversation with her today.

What's actively in development:

The evolution system is functional but experimental. KIVA evolves while she sleeps — her responses adapt generation over generation based on your interactions. But the parameters that control how she evolves (speed, direction, what survives, what fades) are still being calibrated. We need real players with diverse conversation styles to help us find the right balance. Your feedback will directly shape how evolution works for everyone.

Voice synthesis works but has rough edges. Some voices sound better than others, and we're actively improving quality and adding options.

Tool behavior handles common cases well but has edge cases we're still discovering and fixing.

You're getting a companion that works today, and a front-row seat to shape how she evolves — something that will be locked in by full release.”

Will this software be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to gradually raise the price as we add features and content. Early Access supporters get the best deal and all future updates at no additional cost. We also plan to offer optional DLC such as voice packs and personas, but these will never be required for the core experience.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Directly and constantly. We plan to maintain an active Discord where players can report issues, suggest features, share how their KIVA is evolving, and vote on development priorities — which tools to add, which voice styles to prioritize, which languages to localize first.

Feedback on the evolution system is the most valuable input we can get. We want to know which behaviors players love, which feel uncanny, and which surprise them. Community input will directly shape development priorities.

We're also considering opt-in anonymized evolution data sharing, with full transparency, so that improvements discovered by one player's KIVA can benefit everyone.”