The AI chatbot service Character.ai announced on Wednesday that it plans to gradually scale back the ability of users under the age of 18 to interact with digital personalities, and eventually cut them off from open-ended chats altogether. The extraordinary move comes as the app’s parent company, Character Technologies, faces legal actions and governmental scrutiny over how the product has allegedly harmed teenagers who engaged heavily with it.

As of Nov. 25, the company said in a statement on its blog, minors will no longer be able to carry on conversations with its millions of AI-powered characters. “Between now and then, we will be working to build an under-18 experience that still gives our teen users ways to be creative — for example, by creating videos, stories, and streams

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