The US FTC orders Google, OpenAI, Meta and Instagram, Snap, xAI, and Character.AI to turn over information about how their AI chatbots impact children and teens
Meta, OpenAI, Musk's XAI Among Targets Chris Morris / Quartz : Federal agency plans to examine the mental health risks of AI chatbots from OpenAI, Snap, Meta, and more Ian Stark / UPI : FTC orders companies to show impact of AI chatbots on kids X: @ftc : FTC launches inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions. Agency issues 6(b) orders to seven companies that operate consumer-facing AI chatbots: https://www.ftc.gov/... Mark Meador / @meadorftc : If future law enforcement investigations indicate that the consumer protection laws have been violated, the Commission should not hesitate to act to protect the vulnerable. Read my full statement here: https://www.ftc.gov/... Mark Meador / @meadorftc : This study will require the leading chatbot companies to provide detailed information on how their products function and interact with young people. It represents a critical first step in keeping the public safe. Senator Jon Husted / @senjonhusted : AI companion chatbots are exposing America's kids to sexual content and information on self-harm and suicide. I'm leading the CHAT Act to require parental consent and to stop these chatbots from introducing children to harmful material. [video] Mark Meador / @meadorftc : A growing number of reports have emerged of chatbots displaying strange and disturbing behaviors—from promoting suicidal ideation to engaging in sexualized conversations with minors. @housecommerce : Chairman @RepGuthrie and Ranking Member @FrankPallone applaud the @FTC's decision to investigate the risks of AI chatbots to kids and teens. Read their joint statement: [image] Jennifer E. / @jenn_elias : The FTC is issuing orders to seven companies, including Google, OpenAI, and Meta, to understand how their AI chatbots have negative effects. The agency said AI chatbots are used to simulate human-like communication and intrapersonal relationships w users.https://www.cnbc.com/... Wes Hodges / @wesghodges : If chatbots can enable suicide, as in Adam Raine's case through validation, technical help, and social isolation, what's stopping the same subversive pattern from enabling murder in vulnerable youth? The @FTC is right to investigate these issues. Mark Meador / @meadorftc : Today @FTC launched a major, sector-wide inquiry into the AI chatbots that more and more Americans—including children—use on a daily basis. https://www.ftc.gov/... Bluesky: Mary Branscombe / @marypcbuk : insert cynical comment about who is and isn't allowed to interfere with children in the current political climate [embedded post] Stephan Geering / @stephangeering : Interesting that a few obvious larger names (Anthropic? Replika?) and more specialised companion apps are missing from the list. [embedded post] @emilytav : Ok, good. — Also: can we forbid them from integrating what is quite literally an experimental technology into products that kids are already using...? [embedded post] Queer Hand Luke / @lfschleusener : But if Eric Trump gets a 15% equity stake and all those companies, these investigations will go away. [embedded post] Jase Gehring / @skyjase : This is a good rundown of potential harms to individual users. A parallel investigation needs to cover criminal use like fraud, malware, etc — Then there's the part about being wrong all the time while marketed and presented as a source of truth. [embedded post]