The United States Federal Trade Commission is conducting a formal investigation into companies that provide artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots as companions to determine the impact of their use on children and adolescents.
According to an Engadget release on Friday, the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) investigation is aimed at uncovering how companies "measure, test, and monitor the potential negative impacts of these technologies on children and teens."
Seven companies were asked to participate in the FTC investigation, including Alphabet (Google's parent company), Character Technologies (the creator of Character.AI), Meta, Instagram, OpenAI, Snap, and xAI.
The FTC is asking the companies to provide a variety of information, including about how they develop and approve AI characters and monetize user interactions.
Additionally, the FTC wants to study data management practices and how companies protect underage users, in part to see whether chatbot makers are complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
