Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann launches a $249 AI companion pendant 2.0 with a built-in speaker, OpenAI-powered upgrades, and randomly assigned voices, targeting lonely users as he pushes to scale sales from 5,000 to 50,000 units despite widespread public criticism.
Teenagers are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, reporting they feel more understood and less judged by AI than by real people, prompting researchers to urge policymakers to address teens' unmet emotional needs rather than simply restricting AI access.
A alarming new survey of over 1,300 teens reveals nearly half have been exposed to AI-generated explicit content, with one in four reporting they've seen such material depicting themselves or someone they know, sparking urgent concerns about safety, body image, and relationship expectations among young people.
China enacts sweeping legislation banning AI companion chatbots for minors and prohibiting their development entirely, directly targeting the country's fourth consecutive year of record-low birth rates by pushing young people toward real-life relationships.
Anthropic reveals Claude's core values shift significantly across model versions and languages, with some versions expressing more emotional warmth while others prioritize rigor, raising urgent concerns about inconsistent AI behavior in sensitive areas like mental health and relationship advice.
A new Oxford survey reveals millions of UK adults are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support, relationship advice, and health guidance, even as Stanford researchers and experts issue urgent warnings that AI therapy tools can produce harmful responses, reinforce stigma, and compromise user privacy.
A sweeping mental health crisis is gripping U.S. workplaces as 9 in 10 workers report cognitive strain and burnout driven by mounting pressure to adopt AI, which is adding workloads, fueling job uncertainty, and eroding critical thinking rather than easing stress.
Google launches its AI-powered Health Coach globally on May 19, offering personalized 24/7 fitness, sleep, nutrition, and medical insights through a Gemini-powered subscription for just $9.99 per month.
Experts are sounding the alarm as social media and AI shrink human consciousness, with millions forming emotional bonds with chatbots, triggering so-called 'AI psychosis,' while a growing digital detox movement urges people to embrace boredom and 'consciousness hygiene' to reclaim their mental freedom.
AI is going deeply personal this week: Utah launches a pilot letting AI renew psychiatric prescriptions for just $19/month, OpenAI secures a record $122 billion funding round at an $852 billion valuation, and thousands of workers worldwide are filming their daily chores to train the next generation of humanoid robots.