This week, Character.AI announced that it would soon be taking its A.I. companions away from teens. We explain why this is a major development in the world of chatbots and child safety and how we expect other companies to respond. Then, Elon Musk has built a Wikipedia clone called “Grokipedia.” We discuss what it means for the control of knowledge on the web. And finally, we’re joined by A.J. Jacobs to talk about his 48-hour experiment in which he tried to avoid all forms of artificial intelligence. We ask why that led him to collect rainwater and forage for food in Central Park.

Guests:

• A.J. Jacobs, author, journalist and host of the podcast “The Puzzler”

Additional Reading: 

• Character.AI to Bar Children Under 18 From Using Its Chatbots
• Elon Musk Challenges Wikipedia With His Own A.I. Encyclopedia
• 48 Hours Without A.I. 

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