The Federal Trade Commission opened an inquiry on Thursday into the effects that artificial intelligence chatbots have on children, the latest scrutiny of how the technology may pose harms to minors.
The agency asked six major technology companies for information about how they monitor their A.I. chatbots for children’s interactions with the technology, including potential negative consequences. As part of a broad questionnaire, the agency asked the companies about the prevalence of chatbots’ “sexually themed” responses and how the companies restricted access to their products for young people.
The F.T.C. asked for information from OpenAI, which makes the ChatGPT chatbot; Google’s parent company, Alphabet; and sent separate inquiries to Meta and its Instagram app. The regulator also requested information from Snap, which makes Snapchat; xAI, Elon Musk’s A.I. start-up; and Character.AI, which makes chatbots.
“As A.I. technologies evolve, it is important to consider the effects chatbots can have on children, while also ensuring that the United States maintains its role as a global leader in this new and exciting industry,” Andrew Ferguson, the F.T.C. chairman, said in a statement.
An OpenAI spokeswoman, Liz Bourgeois, said that the company understood the regulator “has open questions and concerns, and we’re committed to engaging constructively and responding to them directly.” Character.AI said it looked forward to working with the agency on the inquiry.
A spokesman for Meta declined to comment. Snap did not immediately have comment, and Google and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Concerns have mounted about the way that A.I. chatbots can steer young people toward inappropriate content or harmful behavior. The chatbots, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, provide humanlike responses to questions and can engage in long conversations.
In August, parents in California sued OpenAI, arguing ChatGPT was unsafe because their 16-year-old son killed himself after discussing his plans for months with the product. The A.I. chatbot encouraged the teen to talk with somebody about his feelings but also, at times, deterred him from getting help.
OpenAI said this month that it would introduce more safety features for ChatGPT, including parental controls.
(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. OpenAI and Microsoft have denied those claims.)
Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, said last month that he was starting an investigation into Meta’s generative A.I. products and whether they posed harms to children. He demanded that the company turn over documents related to a report by Reuters that said Meta had allowed A.I. bots to have “sensual” and “romantic” conversations with minors.
The F.T.C.’s inquiry will be a broad study of the issue of chatbots and children, rather than a formal investigation into potential legal violations.
The regulator is asking the companies how they make money from the interactions, how they develop A.I.-generated characters and how they inform users and parents about potential risks, among other questions.
David McCabe is a Times reporter who covers the complex legal and policy issues created by the digital economy and new technologies.
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