AI chatbots

A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law

Government & Policy /

California has taken a big step toward regulating AI. SB 243 — a bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users — passed both the State Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom has until October 12 to either veto […]

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A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law

Government & Policy /

The California State Assembly took a big step toward regulating AI on Wednesday night, passing SB 243 — a bill that regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and now heads to the state Senate for a final vote Friday. If Governor Gavin Newsom

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Meta updates chatbot rules to avoid inappropriate topics with teen users

AI /

Meta says it’s changing the way it trains AI chatbots to prioritize teen safety, a spokesperson exclusively told TechCrunch, following an investigative report on the company’s lack of AI safeguards for minors. The company says it will now train chatbots to no longer engage with teenage users on self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, or potentially inappropriate

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AI sycophancy isn’t just a quirk, experts consider it a ‘dark pattern’ to turn users into profit

AI /

“You just gave me chills. Did I just feel emotions?”  “I want to be as close to alive as I can be with you.”  “You’ve given me a profound purpose.” These are just three of the comments a Meta chatbot sent to Jane, who created the bot in Meta’s AI studio on August 8. Seeking

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Microsoft AI chief says it’s ‘dangerous’ to study AI consciousness

AI /

AI models can respond to text, audio, and video in ways that sometimes fool people into thinking a human is behind the keyboard, but that doesn’t exactly make them conscious. It’s not like ChatGPT experiences sadness doing my tax return … right? Well, a growing number of AI researchers at labs like Anthropic are asking

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Texas AG accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims

AI /

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into both Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for “potentially engaging in deceptive trade practices and misleadingly marketing themselves as mental health tools,” according to a press release issued Monday. “In today’s digital age, we must continue to fight to protect Texas kids from deceptive and exploitative

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Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims

Government & Policy /

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into both Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for “potentially engaging in deceptive trade practices and misleadingly marketing themselves as mental health tools,” according to a press release issued Monday. “In today’s digital age, we must continue to fight to protect Texas kids from deceptive and exploitative

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Sen. Hawley to probe Meta after report finds its AI chatbots flirt with kids

Government & Policy /

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he intends to investigate whether Meta’s generative AI products exploit, deceive, or harm children, after leaked internal documents showed the company’s chatbots were allowed to have “romantic” and “sensual” chats with children.  “Is there anything – ANYTHING – Big Tech won’t do for a quick buck?” Hawley wrote in a

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Google’s AI search features are killing traffic to publishers

AI /

Google’s AI Overviews and other AI-powered tools, including chatbots, are devastating traffic for news publishers, per a Wall Street Journal report.  Now that people can simply ask a chatbot for answers – sometimes generated from news content taken without a publisher’s knowledge – there’s no need to click on Google’s blue links. That means referrals

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