SAN FRANCISCO: Startup Character.AI announced Wednesday (Oct 29) it would eliminate chat capabilities for users under 18, a policy shift that follows the suicide of a 14-year-old who had become emotionally attached to one of its AI chatbots. The company said it would transition younger users to alternative creative features, such as video, story, and stream creation with AI characters, while maintaining a complete ban on direct conversations that will start on November 25. The platform will