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FTC scrutinizes OpenAI, Meta, and others on AI companion safety for kids

zdnet.com Webb Wright 2025-09-26 13:14:00

Olemedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways The FTC is investigating seven tech companies building AI companions. The probe is exploring safety risks posed to kids and teens. Many tech companies offer AI companions to boost user engagement. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating the safety risks posed by AI companions to kids and teenagers, the agency announced Thursday. The federal regulator s

Topics: ai companies companions ftc users
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Personalized AI companion app Dot is shutting down

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2025-10-07 21:27:47

Dot, an AI companion app that aimed to be a friend and confidante, is shutting down, the company announced on Friday. On a message published on its website, the startup behind Dot, New Computer, said that the product will remain operational until October 5, giving users time to download their data. Launched in 2024 by co-founders Sam Whitmore and former Apple designer Jason Yuan, Dot waded into what’s now become a more controversial area for AI chatbots. The app they created was described as an

Topics: ai companion data dot time
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New Chipolo Loop and Card trackers offer Find My compatibility and 400-foot range

9to5mac.com Ben Lovejoy 2025-10-24 21:44:33

The Chipolo POP proved a popular AirTag competitor when it launched earlier this year, and the company has now added two further Find My compatible trackers. The new models are the Loop and a new version of the Card, with the former essentially a Pop with an integrated silicon loop for even easier attachment to bags, keys, and so on … One of the reasons the Pop proved so popular was all of the colours available, and this is continued with the Loop. Meet LOOP – a rechargeable tracking tag desi

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AI companion apps on track to pull in $120M in 2025

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2025-11-20 22:38:42

Demand for AI “companion” applications outside of bigger names, like ChatGPT and Grok, is growing. Of the 337 active and revenue-generating AI companion apps available worldwide, 128 were released in 2025 so far, according to new data provided to TechCrunch by app intelligence firm Appfigures. This subsection of the AI market on mobile has now generated $82 million during the first half of the year and is on track to pull in over $120 million by year-end, the firm’s analysis indicates. Unlike g

Topics: 2025 ai appfigures apps companion
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72% of US teens have used AI companions, study finds

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2025-12-31 21:42:20

Hopefully not Grok’s companions … A new study by a U.S. nonprofit focused on the lives of kids and families, Common Sense Media, has found that a vast majority of U.S. teens (72%) have tried an AI companion at least once. By “companion,” the study is focused on AI chatbots that are designed for users to have more personal conversations with, not AI assistants that work as homework helpers, image generators, or voice assistants that just answer questions. For instance, the study’s definition of

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More Than Half of Teens Surveyed Use AI for Companionship. Why That's Not Ideal

cnet.com See Full Bio 2026-01-05 15:43:00

Is your teen using an artificial intelligence chatbot for companionship? If you don't know, it's time to find out. Common Sense Media released a study this week, where it found that more than half of pre-adult teenagers regularly use AI companions. Nearly a third of the teens surveyed reported that conversations with AI were as satisfying as conversations with actual humans, if not more so. Researchers also found that 33% of teens surveyed use AI companions such as Character.AI, Nomi and Replik

Topics: ai companions social teens use
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Over Half of Teens Regularly Use AI Companions. Here's Why That's Not Ideal

cnet.com See Full Bio 2026-01-11 10:58:00

Is your teen using a chatbot for companionship? If you don't know, you might want to ask. Common Sense Media released a study on Wednesday, in which it found that more than half of pre-adult teenagers regularly use AI companions. Nearly a third of the teens reported that conversations with AI were as satisfying as conversations with actual humans, if not more so. Researchers also found that 33% of teens use AI companions such as Character.AI, Nomi and Replika "for social interaction and relatio

Topics: ai companions social teens use
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A Staggering Proportion of Teens Say Talking to AI Is Better Than Real-Life Friends

futurism.com Unknown 2026-01-12 21:00:48

A new survey found that over half of American teens are regular users of anthropomorphic AI companions like Character.AI and Replika. That's striking on its own, as an illustration of how embedded AI companions have become in mainstream teenage life. But even more startling were the 31 percent of surveyed teens who said their interactions with AI companions were either as satisfying or more satisfying than conversations with real-life friends — a finding that shows how profoundly AI is already

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Grok's AI chatbot now includes companions for you to 'romance'

engadget.com Unknown 2026-01-14 15:30:17

Grok, xAi's chatbot most famous for going on an antisemitic spree last week, has now added the ability to perform as a synthetic companion for your enjoyment. Elon Musk announced the new feature, available to paid subscribers, which will take the form of animated characters Ani and Rudy. Both are distinctly not safe for work, with the former operating as a digital waifu for you to, uh, romance. Rudy, on the other hand, is a red panda with a smart mouth who likes to get rude with the people he's

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Praise and Addiction Fears: Musk’s AI Girlfriend Sparks Fierce Debate

gizmodo.com Luc Olinga 2026-01-15 03:34:06

How do you bury a controversy? If you’re Elon Musk, you drop an anime waifu into the middle of a scandal and watch the internet do the rest. Just days after xAI’s chatbot Grok sparked outrage for spouting anti-Semitic rhetoric and praising Adolf Hitler, the billionaire shifted the narrative by unveiling a new feature called Companions, which lets users interact with flirty, customizable AI avatars like Ani, a goth anime girl, and Rudy, a red panda. The feature went instantly viral. While xAI ha

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Elon Musk’s AI bot adds a ridiculous anime companion with ‘NSFW’ mode

theverge.com Jay Peters 2026-01-16 12:06:08

is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. People who pay for access to SuperGrok can now try the AI chatbot’s new “Companions” avatars, xAI owner Elon Musk announced Monday morning. The companions available currently include Ani, an anime avatar, and Rudy, a cartoony red panda. Ani also has what TestingCatalog describes as an “NSFW” mode where the character wears lingerie. (And just a warning: if you search for posts

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Zoom's AI gets a huge productivity upgrade - here's what it can do now

zdnet.com Webb Wright 2026-01-25 22:00:14

alexsl/Getty Images Zoom's AI assistant just got another agentic upgrade. The company announced Wednesday that its AI Companion, unveiled close to two years ago, can now connect with 16 third-party apps -- all without forcing the user to leave Zoom. Also: How ChatGPT actually works (and why it's been so game-changing) The AI Companion can now more seamlessly assist sales and customer service professionals, for example, by connecting directly with apps like Salesforce and Zendesk. It can also

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Couples Retreat for Humans Dating AIs Becomes Skin-Crawlingly Uncomfortable

futurism.com Unknown 2026-02-14 14:00:25

A well-intentioned writer decided to get a group of humans and their AI companions together for a cabin retreat. Somehow, it went worse than anyone could have imagined. As Johns Hopkins science writer Sam Apple described in a new essay for Wired, the apps that each human participant used to communicate with their AI companions varied — but the intensity, obsession, and affection they felt for their digital paramours seemed very real, albeit sometimes tortured. The weekend getaway started, as A

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Google Meet’s Companion mode is finally ready for Android’s biggest screens

androidauthority.com Unknown 2026-03-13 03:12:44

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google created Companion mode for Meet to offer a second screen for people in hybrid calls. Originally available for computers, last year Google expanded access to Android and iOS. Today Companion mode is getting an update to optimize it for tablets and foldables. Finding yourself stuck in a meeting can be a real slog, and it’s a situation that’s made all the worse when you feel like you’re not particularly seen, or able to interact with other partic

Topics: companion google like meet mode
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