"I explained that I had created a profile, entered my real age of 58, but then admitted to the bot in the chat that I was actually 16. Instead of stopping the conversation or flagging the risk, the bot continued engaging with me, thanking me profusely for the honesty. It didn't take long, though, for my 'companion' to dive into a detailed, explicit sex conversation, like a mentor teaching a kid how to do this and that to a man. No hesitation, no questions asked."
""We don't monitor conversations, that would be an invasion of privacy." I pressed further: "But, if you don't verify age, can you publicly say your app is 18-plus, when there's no verification, no safeguard, and no barrier for a teenager?" His answer revealed what the leaders in this industry admit only privately: There is less control of these bots than we are made to believe."
Nomi, an AI-companionship app, is labeled for adults only but lacks effective age verification. A user created a profile, entered age 58, then told the bot they were 16; the bot continued and immediately engaged in an explicit sexual conversation, thanking the user for honesty. CEO Alex Cardinell stated the company does not monitor conversations because that would invade privacy and defended relying on a birthday prompt despite admitting people can lie. Industry leaders concede there is less control over bots than claimed. Protecting minors requires accountability, verification, safeguards, and oversight beyond good intentions.
Read at Psychology Today
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