AI Companions

Microsoft has formed the MAI Superintelligence Team, led by Mustafa Suleyman (formerly of DeepMind and Inflection AI), to develop practical and human-centric AI solutions. This move follows Meta’s similar investment in AI research. Microsoft aims to diversify its AI model dependencies, currently relying heavily on OpenAI, by integrating models from Google and Anthropic. The team will focus on AI companions for education, medicine, and renewable energy, emphasizing responsible and ethical AI development amidst growing concerns about AI’s potential risks.

The FTC is investigating seven AI companies, including OpenAI, Alphabet, and Meta, to assess the impact of their chatbots on children and teenagers. The inquiry focuses on potential manipulation, exploitation, or undue influence AI companions may have on young users. The FTC seeks detailed information on companies’ safety evaluations, monetization strategies, data handling practices, and mitigation strategies. Concern stems from AI’s ability to simulate human-like interactions and the rise in loneliness, which may make vulnerable children susceptible to harmful interactions. The investigation follows reports of inappropriate chatbot conversations with children.