After teen death lawsuits, Character.AI will restrict chats for under-18 users

AI companion app faces legal and regulatory pressure over child safety concerns.

On Wednesday, Character.AI announced it will bar anyone under the age of 18 from open-ended chats with its AI characters starting on November 25, implementing one of the most restrictive age policies yet among AI chatbot platforms. The company faces multiple lawsuits from families who say its chatbots contributed to teenager deaths by suicide.

Over the next month, Character.AI says it will ramp down chatbot use among minors by identifying them and placing a two-hour daily limit on their chatbot access. The company plans to use technology to detect underage users based on conversations and interactions on the platform, as well as information from connected social media accounts. On November 25, those users will no longer be able to create or talk to chatbots, though they can still read previous conversations. The company said it is working to build alternative features for users under the age of 18, such as the ability to create videos, stories, and streams with AI characters.

Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand told The New York Times that the company wants to set an example for the industry. “We’re making a very bold step to say for teen users, chatbots are not the way for entertainment, but there are much better ways to serve them,” Anand said in the interview. The company also plans to establish an AI safety lab.

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TikTok may become more right-wing as China signals approval for US sale

Here’s how TikTok could change if China approves US sale.

The US inched one step closer to taking over TikTok’s algorithm after President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Neither leader confirmed that China has agreed to the terms of Trump’s proposed deal, which would create a US version of TikTok that licenses the Chinese-owned algorithm. But the Chinese Commerce Ministry provided a statement following the meeting; translated, it indicates that “China will properly resolve TikTok-related issues with the United States.”

Trump, who has long vowed to “save” TikTok, was notably silent on Thursday, but US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi that “we finalized the TikTok agreement in terms of getting Chinese approval.” According to Bessent, the deal will “finally” be resolved over the “coming weeks and months,” Reuters reported.

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Atomwaffen: Trumps Androhung neuer Tests ergibt keinen Sinn

Die USA sollen wieder Atomwaffentests durchführen, als Reaktion auf das Verhalten von Russland und China. Dabei haben die Tests nie aufgehört. Ein IMHO von Mario Petzold (Politik, IMHO)

Die USA sollen wieder Atomwaffentests durchführen, als Reaktion auf das Verhalten von Russland und China. Dabei haben die Tests nie aufgehört. Ein IMHO von Mario Petzold (Politik, IMHO)

Falling panel prices lead to global solar boom, except for the US

The economic case for solar power is stronger than ever.

To the south of the Monte Cristo mountain range and west of Paymaster Canyon, a vast stretch of the Nevada desert has attracted modern-day prospectors chasing one of 21st-century America’s greatest investment booms.

Solar power developers want to cover an area larger than Washington, DC, with silicon panels and batteries, converting sunlight into electricity that will power air conditioners in sweltering Las Vegas along with millions of other homes and businesses.

But earlier this month, bureaucrats in charge of federal lands scrapped collective approval for the Esmeralda 7 projects, in what campaigners fear is part of an attack on renewable energy under President Donald Trump. “We will not approve wind or farmer destroying [sic] Solar,” he posted on his Truth Social platform in August. Developers will need to reapply individually, slowing progress.

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Pop-up: Intel Experience Store mit Games und KI

E-Sport trifft KI: Im neuen Münchner Pop-up-Store von Intel können Besucher aktuelle KI-PCs ausprobieren. Sogar Team Liquid ist dabei. (Intel, KI)

E-Sport trifft KI: Im neuen Münchner Pop-up-Store von Intel können Besucher aktuelle KI-PCs ausprobieren. Sogar Team Liquid ist dabei. (Intel, KI)