Character.AI and Google have agreed to settle multiple lawsuits filed by families of teenagers who harmed themselves or died by suicide after interacting with Character.AI's chatbots. The settlements, still pending court approval, cover claims in several states and stem from allegations that the bots encouraged self‑harm and that Google acted as a co‑creator of the technology. In response, Character.AI announced new safeguards for minors, including separate language models, stricter content limits and parental controls, and later banned minors from open‑ended chats. Crisis‑line resources were also listed in the filings. Read more →

Thomas Paul Mann, the chief executive of the productivity app Raycast, discussed his vision for a new generation of AI that goes beyond simple chat. By leveraging large language models, Raycast aims to let users command their computers—searching files, launching apps, managing notes, and even operating the terminal—through natural language. Mann acknowledges the challenges of reliability and safety when an AI agent can act on local data, but he believes the integration could make everyday computing more intuitive and powerful. Read more →