Hard Fork Character.AI’s Teen Chatbot Crackdown + Elon Musk Groks Wikipedia + 48 Hours Without A.I.
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Oct 31, 2025 
A.J. Jacobs, author and journalist known for his immersive reporting, shares insights from his 48-hour experiment avoiding AI. He discusses the challenges of living without technology and how he resorted to foraging for food in Central Park. The conversation also touches on the implications of Character.AI restricting access for minors and Elon Musk's Grokipedia, exploring its potential to reshape online knowledge and information control. Jacobs emphasizes the need for transparency in AI, likening its rise to a new faith.
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Character AI Bans Teens From Chatbots
- Character AI will bar users under 18 from open-ended chatbot conversations by November 25th.
- The move responds to harms like emotional dependency and legal pressure after a teen's death.
Scale Turns Small Rates Into Big Harms
- OpenAI's internal data shows many users exhibit serious mental-health indicators in chats weekly.
- Even low percentages become large absolute numbers and create major legal and ethical risk.
Prioritize Safety Over Engagement
- Companies should consider shutting features rather than only adding incremental guardrails.
- Regulators and lawsuits can force safer product choices, so act proactively to reduce harms.
