The US Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into "AI chatbots acting as companions," seeking to determine how companies including Google, Meta, OpenAI, and X "measure, test, and monitor potentially negative impacts of this technology on children and teens."
The rise of AI-powered chatbots has been accompanied by disturbing and sometimes horrific stories about their interactions with, and impact on, children: It came to light in August that Meta's AI rules permitted 'sensual' chats with kids until a journalist started asking questions; shortly after that revelation, the parents of a teen who died by suicide sued OpenAI over allegations that ChatGPT encouraged him to do so and even provided instructions.
