Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
Blog Post | March 23, 2026
Fletcher Calcagno
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In February 2026, the Pew Research Center asked America’s teens about their AI usage, and the findings caused concern amongst developmental psychologists.
Over 60% of teens say they have used chatbots like ChatGPT, with roughly three-in-ten reporting daily use. Rather predictably, the most common uses are for entertainment or schoolwork. But the Pew survey also quantified another phenomenon: “16% of teens say they have used chatbots to have casual conversations, and 12% say they’ve used these tools to get emotional support or advice.”
This adds up to hundreds of thousands of teens turning to AI chatbots for social connection, a glaring regulatory lacuna, and tremendous concern from the nation’s parents. In a September 2025 poll from the Institute of Family Studies on this subject, the findings were clear: 90% of voters believe Congress should prioritize guardrails which protect children over the growth of the AI sector. Roughly the same proportion of people agree that AI companies should have a legal obligation to prioritize the best interests of their users when making design decisions. But despite overwhelming bipartisan support for strict guardrails on AI-child interactions, the Trump administration’s regulatory agenda for AI is minimalist. Last summer, walking conflict of interest and White House AI Czar, David Sacks put out Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Michael Kratsios. Winning the Race places a huge emphasis on just that: removing red tape anywhere and everywhere to ensure that America “wins” the race to AI dominance against geopolitical rivals like China. In March 2026, the White House released an updated National Policy Framework which claims to support attempts at protecting children from the externalities of AI chatbots. In reality, the framework is too vague to adequately address AI harms, but does encourage Congress to legislate in ways which would make it harder for states to take legal action against AI companies.
Some AI companies, such as Character.AI and Meta have responded to lawsuits and public pressure with self-regulations like bans on minors and parental controls. In a vacuum, these are salutary developments, but it’s worth highlighting that they are also self-imposed and therefore flexible. In the future, companies may decide that their models are ‘sophisticated’ enough to risk the lives of more teens–indeed, Meta has said its ban on minors usage is only temporary.
To avert further harm to America’s minors, post-Trump regulators will need to seize the moment by creating lasting regulations with genuine legal penalties for companies which irresponsibly produce AI chatbots. If Democrats hope to build a governing coalition that can rein in Big Tech’s malign influence over society, they need to use every tool in the regulatory and legislative book.
Revolving Door Project is tracking how AI companies’ uninhibited growth is harming children and their families:
OpenAI’s key corporate sponsor is Microsoft, which claims exclusive rights to host OpenAI products like ChatGPT on Azure web services. OpenAI recently penned a $50 billion deal with Amazon Web Services, which Microsoft is considering legal action against.
Character Technologies produces chatbots on the Character.AI platform, and was founded by two former Google engineers. Google is a heavy investor in the venture, reportedly paying $3 billion to license Character’s products and bring some of its top researchers back into Google’s offices.
Meta AI offers standard conversational chatbot functions, as well as a text and image generator. Meta also has tried integrating AI functions into their other immensely popular products, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Elon Musk’s company xAI produces Grok, a chatbot that’s been marketed as “anti-woke” and continuously marred by scandals.
Image credit: “President Trump Meets with Mark Zuckerberg” by Trump White House Archived is marked with PDM 1.0.
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