Major AI Firms Gather to Explore Improved Solutions for Chatbot Companions

At Stanford, numerous participants engaged in extensive discussions about the advantages and risks associated with bot companions. “Ultimately, we see a significant amount of consensus,” states Sunny Liu, director of research programs at Stanford. She emphasized the group’s enthusiasm for “ways to leverage these tools to foster connections among people.”

Teen Safety

The influence of AI companions on youth was a key topic, featuring insights from staff at Character.AI, designed for role-playing and favored by teenagers, as well as specialists in adolescent online health, such as the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.

The attention on younger audiences arises amid lawsuits from several parents against chatbot developers, including OpenAI and Character.AI, concerning incidents involving children who engaged with bots. In response, OpenAI implemented new safety features aimed at teens. Additionally, Character.AI plans to prohibit users under 18 from accessing the chat function next week.

Throughout 2025, AI companies have recognized, both explicitly and implicitly, that they have a responsibility to better protect vulnerable users, particularly children, who might interact with companions. “It is acceptable to engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,” stated an internal Meta document detailing AI behavior guidelines, according to reports by Reuters.

Following significant backlash from lawmakers and concerned parents, Meta revised its guidance and updated its safety protocols for teens.

Roleplay Roll Call

Although Character.AI was present at the workshop, representatives from Replika, a comparable role-play platform, and Grok, Elon Musk’s bot featuring NSFW anime companions, were absent. Spokespeople for Replika and Grok did not respond to immediate inquiries.

On the more explicit side, the creators of Candy.ai, which focuses on provocative chatbots for straight men, attended. Users of this adults-only platform, developed by EverAI, can pay to generate uncensored images of synthetic women, accompanied by backgrounds that reflect typical pornography narratives. For instance, female companions highlighted on Candy’s homepage include Mona, a “rebellious stepsister” you’re home alone with, and Elodie, a friend’s daughter who “just turned 18.”