EU Kids Act targets overly friendly AI chatbots

 

Big Tech will have to prove their services are safe by design under EU plan 

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen officially presented the EU Kids Act on Thursday, proposing bloc-wide rules to limit minors’ access to online services.

The law targets a broad range of platforms – from social media to AI chatbots, games and app stores – as Euractiv reported earlier.

Under the approach, Virkkunen said AI chatbots and companions would no longer be able to act as “human friends” to underage users – curbing the risk of children becoming emotionally dependent on AI. (...)