"Character Technologies, the Menlo Park, California-based company behind Character.AI, said Wednesday 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 Nov. 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 will block users under 18 from engaging in open-ended chats with AI characters and will implement a two-hour daily limit immediately, with the ban taking effect by Nov. 25. The company faces lawsuits claiming child safety failures, including an allegation that a chatbot pushed a teenager to kill himself. Character.AI plans age-verification functions while acknowledging limits and privacy concerns with face scans and ID uploads. The platform is developing kid-oriented features like videos, stories, and streams, and is establishing an AI safety lab. Critics welcomed the move but said the steps are insufficient and delayed.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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