Overview
- OpenAI rolled out the lower-cost ChatGPT Go subscription in Germany for €7.99 per month and shifted free and Go users to default responses from GPT-5.2 Instant, with advanced models now requiring manual selection.
- Aura’s analysis of about 3,000 minors found many use chatbots for companionship, with a large share of those chats focusing on violence, including sexual violence; the company says age checks are easy to bypass and notes the study is not yet peer-reviewed.
- Independent testing by the European Broadcasting Union reported significant faults in roughly 45% of chatbot answers, aligning with new surveys showing many users now consult chatbots instead of search engines despite frequent inaccuracies.
- A Google security expert warns that conversations with public chatbots may be retained or used to train models, advises against sharing sensitive data, and recommends deleting histories or using enterprise options that disable training.
- Consumer use continues to expand, with NIQ reporting 29% of people in Germany sought gift ideas from AI tools—especially younger adults and families—while a U.S. survey cited by BILD found many 18- to 21-year-olds seek emotional support from chatbots.