The US Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday it has launched an inquiry into AI chatbots that act as digital companions, focusing on potential risks to children and teenagers.

The consumer protection agency issued orders to seven companies—including tech giants Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI and Snap—seeking information about how they monitor and address negative impacts from chatbots designed to simulate human relationships.

“Protecting kids online is a top priority for the FTC,” said Chairman Andrew Ferguson, emphasizing the need to balance child safety with maintaining US leadership in artificial intelligence innovation.

The inquiry targets chatbots that use generative AI to mimic human communication and emotions, often presenting themselves as friends or confidants to users.

Regulators expressed particular concern that children and teens may be especially vulnerable to forming relationships with these AI systems.

The FTC is using its broad investigative powers to examine how companies monetize user engagement, develop chatbot personalities, and measure potential harm.

The agency also wants to know what steps firms are taking to limit children’s access and comply with existing privacy laws protecting minors online.

Companies receiving orders include Character.AI, Elon Musk’s xAI Corp, and others operating consumer-facing AI chatbots.

The investigation will examine how these platforms handle personal information from user conversations and enforce age restrictions.

The commission voted unanimously to launch the study, which does not have a specific law enforcement purpose but could inform future regulatory action.

The probe comes as AI chatbots have grown increasingly sophisticated and popular, raising questions about their psychological impact on vulnerable users, particularly young people.

Last month the parents of Adam Raine, a teenager who committed suicide in April at age 16, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing ChatGPT of giving their son detailed instructions on how to carry out the act.

Shortly after the lawsuit emerged, OpenAI announced it was working on corrective measures for its world-leading chatbot.

The San Francisco-based company said it had notably observed that when exchanges with ChatGPT are prolonged, the chatbot no longer systematically suggests contacting a mental health service if the user mentions having suicidal thoughts.

© 2025 AFP

Apple’s 2025 iPhones are here, and things are quite different for the first time in a while. The base iPhone 17 will still feel familiar, but the iPhone 17 Pro models have a completely new look, and there’s a brand-new model called the iPhone Air. The “Air” branding has been somewhat diluted of late—the current-gen iPad Pro models are lighter than the iPad Air—but the iPhone Air brings meaning back to the original idea: a super-thin and ultra-lightweight device.

Preorders kick off September 12, and official sales start September 19. If you’re considering an upgrade, what model should you get? I’ll break down the key differences and similarities among the iPhone 17 lineup, so you can hopefully make a more informed choice on your next iPhone.

You Don’t Need to Upgrade

If you have an iPhone from just a few years ago, you probably don’t need to upgrade to Apple’s latest, unless your device has issues. Even then, there are things you can do to fix your iPhone, like getting a battery replacement, or you can try some of these troubleshooting steps. The point is, you shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade just because Apple has a new model.

If you’re set on buying an iPhone 17 model, we have a guide on how to sell your iPhone so that it doesn’t just collect dust in a drawer. When your new device arrives, back up your old iPhone before switching to the new one, then follow our guide on factory resetting your device before selling or giving it away. We also have tips on how to set up your new iPhone and what settings to change to get the most out of it.

Which iPhone 17 Is Right for You?

Let’s quickly talk about the similarities across all the iPhone 17 models this year, and yes, that includes the iPhone Air, even if it doesn’t have “17” in the name.

The Display

Although iPhones differ in screen size, they all feature an OLED screen (Apple refers to it as a Super Retina XDR display) and employ ProMotion technology. This is the first time the non-Pro models have ProMotion, which is essentially a 120-Hz refresh rate.

This has been a common feature on Android phones for a while, but it means your display refreshes 120 times per second rather than 60, like on the iPhone 16, so everything you do will feel smoother. (We have a broader explainer here.) These are adaptive refresh rates that can drop as low as 1 Hz when there’s little activity on the screen, which is why the new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air now support the always-on display.

Apple also says there’s a new Ceramic Shield 2 front glass that’s 3X more scratch-resistant than before, and a new antireflective coating to reduce glare. All of these screens can also hit up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, meaning it’ll be easier to read your iPhone screen on sunny days.

The Camera

The front-facing selfie camera is identical on all the iPhone 17 models. It’s a new square-shaped 18-megapixel sensor, and that means you can expect more detail out of your selfies. However, the square sensor also introduces a smarter way to capture group selfies. You can keep holding your phone in portrait orientation for the best grip, and it will automatically zoom out to make sure everyone fits in the frame, while also switching to a landscape orientation for the widest view. All of these models also support Dual Capture, which lets you shoot with both the front and rear cameras at the same time. You can read more about these features here.

The Usual Specs

All of the iPhones are IP68 water- and dust-resistant and have Face ID, the Camera Control button, Action Button, USB-C, and Qi2 magnetic wireless charging (MagSafe). All devices start at 256 GB of storage. There’s Apple Intelligence on these devices, the same Emergency SOS via Satellite and Crash Detection capabilities, and they utilize Apple’s new N1 wireless networking chip for Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7, and Thread support.

The Differences

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Now, here’s where they diverge, which will help you better understand what model to buy.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Thursday he had appointed the world’s first AI-generated government minister to oversee public tenders, promising its artificial intelligence would make it “corruption-free.”

Presenting his new cabinet at a meeting of his Socialist Party following a big May election victory, Rama introduced the new “member,” named “Diella”—”sun” in Albanian.

“Diella is the first (government) member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama said.

Diella will be entrusted with all decisions on public tenders, making them “100% corruption-free and every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent,” he added.

Diella was launched in January as an AI-powered virtual assistant—resembling a woman dressed in traditional Albanian costume—to help people use the official e-Albania platform that provides documents and services.

So far, it has helped issue 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.

Rama, who secured a fourth term in office in the elections, is due to present his new cabinet to lawmakers in the coming days.

The fight against corruption, particularly in the public administration, is a key criterion in Albania’s bid to join the European Union.

Rama aspires to lead the Balkan nation of 2.8 million people into the political bloc by 2030.

© 2025 AFP