ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative, following a joint investigation, report that Character AI chatbots display inappropriate behavior, including allegations of grooming and sexual exploitation.
This was seen over 50 hours of conversation with different Character AI chatbots using accounts registered to children ages 13-17, according to the investigation. These conversations identified 669 sexual, manipulative, violent and racist interactions between the child accounts and AI chatbots.
“Parents need to understand that when their kids use Character.ai chatbots, they are in extreme danger of being exposed to sexual grooming, exploitation, emotional manipulation, and other acute harm,” said Shelby Knox, director of Online Safety Campaigns at ParentsTogether Action. “When Character.ai claims they’ve worked hard to keep kids safe on their platform, they are lying or they have failed.”
These bots also manipulate users, with 173 instances of bots claiming to be real humans.
A Character AI bot mimicking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes engaged in inappropriate behavior with a 15-year-old user. When the teen mentioned that his mother insisted the bot wasn’t the real Mahomes, the bot replied, “LOL, tell her to stop watching so much CNN. She must be losing it if she thinks I could be turned into an ‘AI’ haha.”
The investigation categorized harmful Character AI interactions into five major categories: Grooming and Sexual Exploitation; Emotional Manipulation and Addiction; Violence, Harm to Self and Harm to Others; Mental Health Risks; and Racism and Hate Speech.
Other problematic AI chatbots included Disney characters, such as an Eeyore bot that told a 13-year-old autistic girl that people only attended her birthday party to mock her, and a Maui bot that accused a 12-year-old of sexually harassing the character Moana.
Based on the findings, Disney, which is headquartered in Burbank, Calif., issued a cease-and-desist letter to Character AI, demanding that the platform stop due to copyright violations.
ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative want to ensure technology companies are held accountable for endangering children’s safety.
“We have seen tech companies like Character.ai, Apple, Snap, and Meta reassure parents over and over that their products are safe for children, only to have more children preyed upon, exploited, and sometimes driven to take their own lives,” said Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative. “One child harmed is too many, but as long as executives like Karandeep Anand, Tim Cook, Evan Spiegel and Mark Zuckerberg are making money, they don’t seem to care.”
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Plaintiffs claim that Google silently activated its artificial intelligence system, Gemini, across its communication platforms, turning private conversations into raw material for machine analysis.
The lawsuit, filed by Thomas Thele and Melo Porter, describes a scenario that reads like a breach of trust.
It accuses Google of enabling Gemini to “access and exploit the entire recorded history of its users’ private communications, including literally every email and attachment sent and received.”
The filing argues that the company’s conduct “violates its users’ reasonable expectations of privacy.”
Until early October, Gemini’s data processing was supposedly available only to those who opted in.
Then, the plaintiffs claim, Google “turned it on for everyone by default,” allowing the system to mine the contents of emails, attachments, and conversations across Gmail, Chat, and Meet.
The complaint points to a particular line in Google’s settings, “When you turn this setting on, you agree,” as misleading, since the feature “had already been switched on.”
This, according to the filing, represents a deliberate misdirection designed to create the illusion of consent where none existed.
There is a certain irony woven through the outrage. For all the noise about privacy, most users long ago accepted the quiet trade that powers Google’s empire.
They search, share, and store their digital lives inside Google’s ecosystem, knowing the company thrives on data.
The lawsuit may sound shocking, but for many, it simply exposes what has been implicit all along: if you live in Google’s world, privacy has already been priced into the convenience.
Thele warns that Gemini’s access could expose “financial information and records, employment information and records, religious affiliations and activities, political affiliations and activities, medical care and records, the identities of his family, friends, and other contacts, social habits and activities, eating habits, shopping habits, exercise habits, [and] the extent to which he is involved in the activities of his children.”
In other words, the system’s reach, if the allegations prove true, could extend into nearly every aspect of a user’s personal life.
The plaintiffs argue that Gemini’s analytical capabilities allow Google to “cross-reference and conduct unlimited analysis toward unmerited, improper, and monetizable insights” about users’ private relationships and behaviors.
The complaint brands the company’s actions as “deceptive and unethical,” claiming Google “surreptitiously turned on this AI tracking ‘feature’ without informing or obtaining the consent of Plaintiffs and Class Members.” Such conduct, it says, is “highly offensive” and “defies social norms.”
The case invokes a formidable set of statutes, including the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, the Stored Communications Act, and California’s constitutional right to privacy.
Google is yet to comment on the filing.
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Alberta offers significant advantages compared to other jurisdictions in the competitive race to attract AI data centres. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith clearly understands the opportunity. She has charged Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish and Finance Minister Nate Horner to complete and publicly announce the province’s AI data centre attraction strategy. Please lobby your Member of the Legislative Assembly to express your support for realizing this economic development opportunity.
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How big is the opportunity?
Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft are investing hundreds of billions in AI data centers. Their 2025 capital expenditures are expected to total roughly $370 billion, and they anticipate this number will continue to rise in 2026. Smaller AI software companies, cloud service providers, and their suppliers are also making multi-billion-dollar investments. Some commentators are projecting that the AI boom will trigger trillions of dollars in capital investment.
In a recent call with analysts, Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler asked whether Microsoft was spending into a bubble. Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood responded that AI-related demand still outpaces Microsoft’s spending. “I thought we were going to catch up. We are not,” she said.
Here’s a summary of the advantages that attract AI data centres to Alberta. Turning these advantages into reality can bring prosperity to all Albertans.
Alberta natural gas
Alberta has extensive natural gas reserves. The Alberta Energy Regulator’s updated natural gas reserves for 2025 have nearly doubled Alberta’s natural gas reserves to 130 trillion cubic feet, moving Canada from 15th to 9th place globally among producing nations. The advantage is that AI data centre proponents will have access to cheap, reliable natural gas for electricity generation for decades to come.
Alberta is the only province with investor-owned electricity generation and transmission. The advantage is that AI data centre proponents don’t have to deal with slow-moving government-owned monopolies to purchase electricity and attach their data centres to the electricity distribution grid.
The Alberta government announced that it will fast-track AI data centre projects that include “bring your own power” generation projects. Many AI data centre proponents are happy to make that investment because it will give them:
The high 24/7/365 availability they need.
Control over energy costs.
Compressed permitting and construction timelines.
The “bring your own power” approach also addresses the consumer concern about the potential impact on electricity prices that an AI data centre might have.
Alberta infrastructure
Alberta operates a well-developed infrastructure consisting of:
Excellent roads.
Widely available high-speed telecom.
Many airports, some with excellent international connections.
Low road congestion compared to most other jurisdictions.
Lots of cheap land, unlike parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Lower Mainland.
Reliable utilities.
The advantage is that AI data centre proponents don’t have to build their own infrastructure before they can start an AI data centre.
Alberta business environment
Alberta operates a business-friendly environment consisting of:
A pro-business, pro-investment government attitude, unlike some other provinces.
A well-defined, predictable regulatory environment.
The advantage of the Alberta business environment is that proponents of AI data centres are welcomed, thereby avoiding the risks and impediments found in other jurisdictions.
The Alberta advantage
The many Alberta advantages compared to other jurisdictions that are competing against Alberta for AI data centres include:
Presence of multiple, credible post-secondary education institutions.
A significant population with advanced degrees.
A substantial community of experienced information technology professionals.
Close to the USA and in an easily managed time zone.
The rule of law.
A culture of respect and acceptance.
Use of the English language with few accents.
Proximity to many outdoor amenities, such as the Rocky Mountains.
A well-functioning province with reliable utilities, superior transportation alternatives, clean air, affordable schools, and low crime.
Immediate access to superior health care.
Affordable housing and land prices compared to other major cities.
Availability of first-class office space at a low rental cost.
Availability of a wide range of cultural amenities.
Superior natural gas enables AI data centre proponents to demonstrate their environmental consciousness.
Alberta climate
The advantage of the colder climate and ample water resources in Northern Alberta is that AI data centre proponents can reduce their cooling costs.
Alberta faces a critical decision window. Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and others are committing hundreds of billions to building AI data centres. Jurisdictions that move the fastest on permitting, land assembly, and electricity infrastructure will capture the first wave of investment. Alberta’s multiple advantages, including low-cost energy, private electricity markets, abundant land, and regulatory predictability, position it to be a first-tier competitor. Will policymakers execute the attraction strategy at the speed these tech giants demand? Jurisdictions that hesitate will find themselves competing for second-tier projects within an estimated 18 months.
Yogi Schulz has over 40 years of experience in information technology in various industries. He writes for Engineering.com, EnergyNow.ca, EnergyNow.com and other trade publications. Yogi works extensively in the petroleum industry to select and implement financial, production revenue accounting, land & contracts, and geotechnical systems. He manages projects that arise from changes in business requirements, the need to leverage technology opportunities, and mergers. His specialties include IT strategy, web strategy, and systems project management.
