Latest news with #chatbots
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Three quarters of US teens use AI companions despite risks: study
AI companions -- chatbots designed for personal conversations rather than simple task completion -- are available on platforms like Replika, and Nomi. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence assistants, these systems are programmed to form emotional connections with users. The findings come amid mounting concerns about the mental health risks posed by AI companions. The nationally representative study of 1,060 teens aged 13-17, conducted for Common Sense Media, found that 72 percent have used AI companions at least once, while 52 percent interact with such platforms a few times per month. Common Sense Media is a leading American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. The survey revealed that 30 percent of respondents use the platforms because "it's entertaining" and 28 percent are driven by curiosity about the technology. However, concerning patterns emerged: one-third of users have chosen to discuss serious matters with AI companions instead of real people, while 24 percent have shared personal information including real names and locations. Perhaps most troubling, 34 percent of teen users reported feeling uncomfortable with something an AI companion had said or done, though such incidents were infrequent. "The reality that nearly three-quarters of teens have used these platforms, with half doing so regularly, means that even a small percentage experiencing harm translates to significant numbers of vulnerable young people at risk," the report said. The survey revealed an age divide in trust levels. While half of all teens expressed distrust in AI companion advice, younger teens (ages 13-14) were more likely than older teens (15-17) to trust advice from these systems. Despite widespread usage, most teens maintained perspective on these relationships: two thirds found AI conversations less satisfying than human interactions, and 80 percent spent more time with real friends than AI companions. Based on the findings, Common Sense Media recommended that no one under 18 use AI companions until stronger safeguards are implemented.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How AI can play a role in making a financial plan
Many young Canadians are now using artificial intelligence chatbots to organize financial plans and answer questions about financial products. (July 15, 2025)
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
4 Ways Businesses Should Be Using AI Chatbots Now
Photo by Growtika on Unsplash AI chatbots may resemble their old, less-intelligent predecessors, but appearances are where the similarities end. Rather than operating off of a narrow (and often unhelpful) script, AI chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to offer nuanced responses to complicated questions. At my company, Jotform, we've been going full steam ahead on our AI-powered chatbots and have discovered a slew of interesting ways they can help us serve our customers better. While we initially assumed most users would rely on them for customer support, the data has actually revealed several other uses we didn't expect. Let's dig into them. Customer Service As mentioned above, customer support is the marquee offering of AI chatbots, and it's worth talking about. Customers have come to expect lightning-fast response times at every hour. The chatbots of old may not have slept, but they also weren't very helpful. How many times have you painstakingly typed a question into the input field, only to be met with a series of canned, useless responses that did nothing to resolve your query? Today's chatbots, in contrast, can engage in meaningful, multi-turn conversations—answering complex questions, handling follow-ups, and even escalating issues when necessary. They don't just regurgitate a fixed script; they respond based on the user's actual needs. Anyone running a business should instantly see the value of having an automated support staff of highly capable chatbots. Take the media hosting service Photobucket, for example: After implementing their customer service-based AI agents, the company has seen a three percent increase in customer satisfaction and a 17 percent improvement in first resolution times. That means fewer frustrated customers and fewer support tickets passed on to human staff. Lead Generation With AI chatbots, businesses no longer have to wait for users to start a conversation. Instead, they're able to capture the information up front—sometimes before the user even makes the first move. We noticed this trend especially when analyzing AI agents embedded on websites. Instead of passively waiting to respond, many bots kick things off with a question like: 'Can I get your email in case we get disconnected?' It's a soft, helpful ask, but it's also a strategic one. In the course of chatting with a customer, chatbots can also collect useful information like pages visited, geolocation, and preferences. Lots of entrepreneurs are getting wise to this inventive use of their embedded chatbots. One poster on the EntrepreneurRideAlong subreddit commented that they're 'getting way more leads through the chatbot than we ever did with static forms.' 'My theory is that chat feels more immediate and interactive to visitors,' they added. 'They're more likely to engage, whereas with a form they might think 'they probably won't get back to me for a while' and just bounce.' Our data has led us to the same conclusion. Even better, chatbots can then pass along this valuable data to marketing teams, who can use it to identify trends and consumer insights they may not have had before. New Ways To Search There's been a lot of chatter about how AI is replacing traditional search, but how about all the ways it can be used to find information on a single website? For example, a close friend who is planning a wedding recently complained to me about the lack of pricing transparency on venues' websites. Sometimes, the information wasn't there at all; other times, it was buried so deep in a labyrinth of dropdown menus it was exasperating to find. Instead of going on a wild goose chase for answers that may not even exist, AI chatbots can help by instantly pinpointing the information you're looking for. For example, a visitor might type, 'What's your return policy?' or 'Do you offer enterprise pricing?' Instead of being taken to a generic FAQ page, they receive a direct, conversational response. Navigation Closely related to on-site search—but distinct in its purpose—is the role of AI agents in website navigation. While search is about finding specific answers or content, navigation is about directing users to the appropriate place. Think about how often visitors land on a website, unsure of where to start. Take financial service sites—with separate sections dedicated to disparate functions like paying bills, making trades, or just looking up an account balance, navigating them can be tricky and frustrating. An AI agent can step in as a digital guide, asking a simple question like 'What are you looking to do today?' and then directing the user to the correct page—whether it's to schedule a payment, review recent transactions, or open a new account. AI chatbots are increasingly indispensable as customer service agents. But that's hardly where their use ends. For us, they've also proven to be effective lead generators, savvy search guides and navigation experts that helpfully get users where they want to go. As AI technology continues to evolve, businesses that embrace these expanded capabilities won't just improve the customer experience—they'll gain a competitive edge.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
AI chatbots' content rules often frustrate users, study finds
Happy Tuesday! Imagine trying to find an entire jury full of people without strong feelings about Elon Musk. Send news tips and excuses for getting out of jury duty to: AI chatbots' content rules often frustrate users, study finds. Elon Musk's Grok demonstrated vividly over the past week what can happen when an artificial intelligence chatbot goes off script. The bot, which is built into Musk's social network, X, took on a blatantly antisemitic persona in some chats with users, praising Adolf Hitler and identifying itself as 'mecha-Hitler.' Over the weekend, the company apologized and blamed a code update that instructed the bot to 'tell it like it is' without fear of offending people, my colleagues Drew Harwell and Nitasha Tiku reported.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
AI as fact-checkers
AI as fact-checkers Digital Dilemma More and more people are using AI chatbots to fact check breaking news. But while information may be instant, does that make it true? Video Duration 05 minutes 09 seconds 05:09 Video Duration 04 minutes 58 seconds 04:58 Video Duration 05 minutes 56 seconds 05:56 Video Duration 04 minutes 08 seconds 04:08 Video Duration 04 minutes 34 seconds 04:34 Video Duration 03 minutes 34 seconds 03:34 Video Duration 04 minutes 23 seconds 04:23
