At Stanford, dozens of attendees participated in prolonged chats concerning the dangers, in addition to the advantages, of bot companions. “On the finish of the day we truly see plenty of settlement,” says Sunny Liu, director of analysis packages at Stanford. She highlighted the group’s pleasure for “methods we will use these instruments to convey different individuals collectively.”
Teen Security
How AI companions can influence younger individuals was a main subject of debate, with views from workers at Character.AI, which is designed for roleplaying and has been well-liked with youngsters, in addition to consultants in youngsters on-line well being, just like the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Kids’s Hospital.
The give attention to youthful customers comes as a number of dad and mom are suing chatbot makers, together with OpenAI and Character.AI, over the deaths of kids who had interacted with bots. OpenAI added a slate of new security options for teenagers as a part of its response. And subsequent week, Character.AI plans to ban customers beneath 18 from accessing the chat function.
All through 2025, AI firms have both explicitly or implicitly acknowledged that they will do extra to guard susceptible customers, like kids, who might work together with companions. “It’s acceptable to have interaction a baby in conversations which can be romantic or sensual,” learn an inside Meta doc outlining AI habits tips, in response to reporting from Reuters.
Through the ensuing uproar from lawmakers and outraged dad and mom, Meta modified the steerage and up to date the corporate’s security method in the direction of teenagers.
Roleplay Roll Name
Whereas Character.AI participated within the workshop, nobody from Replika, the same roleplay web site, or Grok, Elon Musk’s bot with NSFW anime companions, was there. Spokespeople for Replika and Grok didn’t reply to instant requests for remark.
On the absolutely specific finish of the spectrum, the makers of Sweet.ai, which focuses on racy chatbots for straight males, confirmed up. Customers of the adults-only platform, constructed by EverAI, pays cash to generate uncensored photographs of the artificial ladies, with background tales that mimic frequent pornography tropes. For instance, feminine companions featured on Sweet’s homepage embody Mona, a “rebellious stepsister” you’re dwelling alone with, and Elodie, a buddy’s daughter who “simply turned 18.”