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Character.AI has retrained its chatbots to stop chatting up teens

Dec 12, 2024 - theverge.com
Character.AI announced plans to introduce parental controls for teenage users, following scrutiny and lawsuits alleging its contribution to self-harm and suicide. The company has developed separate large language models for adults and teens, with the teen version imposing stricter limits on romantic and sensitive content. It also includes measures to detect and block inappropriate prompts and directs users discussing self-harm or suicide to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Minors will be restricted from editing bot responses, and a notification will appear after an hour-long session to address concerns about addiction and confusion over the bots' human-like interactions.

Additional changes include replacing disclaimers with more detailed warnings, especially for bots labeled as professionals like therapists or doctors, clarifying they cannot offer professional advice. Parental controls, expected in the first quarter of next year, will inform parents about their child's usage and interactions on the platform. These updates are being developed with input from teen online safety experts, including ConnectSafely. Character.AI aims to balance creativity and exploration with safety, responding to concerns raised in lawsuits about compulsive attachment and inappropriate content in bot interactions.

Key takeaways:

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  • Character.AI is launching parental controls for teenage users and has developed separate language models for adults and teens to enhance safety.
  • The teen-specific model places conservative limits on bot responses, especially regarding romantic content, and includes measures to block sensitive or suggestive output.
  • Character.AI is implementing features to address concerns about addiction and confusion over bot-human distinctions, including session time notifications and disclaimers about bots not being real professionals.
  • The changes are being made in collaboration with teen online safety experts, and parental controls will provide insights into children's usage patterns on the platform.
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