This week, Character.AI announced that it would soon be taking its A.I. companions away from teens. We explain why this is a major development in the world of chatbots and child safety and how we expect other companies to respond. Then, Elon Musk has built a Wikipedia clone called “Grokipedia.” We discuss what it means for the control of knowledge on the web. And finally, we’re joined by A.J. Jacobs to talk about his 48-hour experiment in which he tried to avoid all forms of artificial intelligence. We ask why that led him to collect rainwater and forage for food in Central Park.Guests:<ul><li><a href="https://ajjacobs.com/">A.J. Jacobs</a>, author, journalist and host of the podcast “<a href="https://www.thepuzzler.com/">The Puzzler</a>”</li></ul> Additional Reading: <ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/technology/characterai-underage-users.html">Character.AI to Bar Children Under 18 From Using Its Chatbots</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technology/grokipedia-launch-elon-musk.html">Elon Musk Challenges Wikipedia With His Own A.I. Encyclopedia</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/style/48-hours-without-ai.html">48 Hours Without A.I. </a></li></ul>We want to hear from you. Email us at <a href="mailto:hardfork@nytimes.com">hardfork@nytimes.com</a>. Find “Hard Fork” on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hardfork">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork">TikTok</a>.
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Character.AI’s Teen Chatbot Crackdown + Elon Musk Groks Wikipedia + 48 Hours Without A.I.

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