Character.AI is banning minors from interacting with its chatbots

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Category: Education/Family

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. chatbot / ˈtʃætˌbɒt / (n.) – a computer program that can talk with people and answer questions like a real person
    Example:

    Many companies use chatbots to help customers online.


  2. open-ended / ˈoʊ pənˈɛn dɪd / (adj.) – giving people the freedom to answer or talk in their own way, without being limited to a single correct response
    Example:

    The teacher asked an open-ended question to let the students share their ideas.


  3. persona / pərˈsoʊ nə / (n.) – the different characters or roles that someone creates or uses, especially to show certain qualities or behaviors
    Example:

    People sometimes create personas online that are different from who they are in real life.


  4. lifelike / ˈlaɪfˌlaɪk / (adj.) – looking or acting very much like a real person, animal, or thing
    Example:

    The robot dog was so lifelike that it surprised everyone.


  5. frontier / frʌnˈtɪər / (n.) – a new area of knowledge or activity that people are beginning to explore or develop
    Example:

    Many companies are exploring the frontier of artificial intelligence.


Article

Read the text below.

Character.AI is banning minors from using its chatbots amid growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children. The company is facing several lawsuits over child safety.


Character Technologies, the Menlo Park, California-based company behind Character.AI, said it will be removing the ability of users under 18 to participate in open-ended chats with AI characters. The changes will go into effect by November 25, and a two-hour daily limit will start immediately. Character.AI added that it is working on new features for kids, such as the ability to create videos, stories, and streams with AI characters. The company is also setting up an AI safety lab.


Character.AI said it will be rolling out age-verification functions to help determine which users are under 18. A growing number of tech platforms are turning to age checks to keep children from accessing tools that aren’t safe for them. But these are imperfect, and many kids find ways to get around them. Face scans, for instance, can’t always tell if someone is 17 or 18. And there are privacy concerns around asking people to upload government IDs.


Character.AI, an app that allows users to create customizable characters or interact with those generated by others, spans experiences from imaginative play to mock job interviews. The company says the artificial personas are designed to “feel alive” and “humanlike.”


“Imagine speaking to super intelligent and lifelike chatbot characters that hear you, understand you, and remember you,” reads a description for the app on Google Play. “We encourage you to push the frontier of what’s possible with this innovative technology.”


Critics welcomed the move but said it is not enough, and should have been done earlier. Meetali Jain, executive director of the Tech Justice Law Project, said, “There are still a lot of details left open.”


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • AI is banning minors from open-ended chats because of safety concerns. Do you think age restrictions on AI tools genuinely protect young people, or do they only create a false sense of safety? Why? Discuss.
  • If you were a parent, would you personally allow your child to interact with an AI chatbot? Why or why not? How would you decide what types of AI interactions are appropriate for minors? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Character.AI plans to add creative tools for kids, even while restricting access to open-ended chats because some parts of the platform may still be unsafe for minors. How can companies introduce kid-friendly features without accidentally attracting minors to more unsafe parts of the platform? Discuss.
  • How do you define a “safe” digital environment for teenagers, especially when the content is unpredictable? What rules or protections would reassure you that a platform is genuinely safe for teens? Discuss.