Social RoboticsUS FTC opens inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions
Seven firms including Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI and Character.AI were ordered to explain how they protect children and teens.
The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously to send orders to seven companies offering consumer AI chatbots: Alphabet, Character Technologies, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap and xAI. Using its Section 6(b) study powers, the agency asked how they test and monitor harms to young users, how they limit minors' use, how they design and approve characters and how they make money from engagement. It also asked about compliance with the children's privacy rule COPPA. The inquiry signalled that regulators now treat AI companionship as a distinct risk area, with clear implications for any robot that embodies a companion persona.
Source: Federal Trade Commission
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