# Meta contractors posed as teenagers to secretly test rival AI chatbots

> There is something bracingly cynical about a company running covert tests on its rivals using fake vulnerable teenagers as bait, then calling it a responsible industry practice once caught. Character.AI says the testing broke its own rules, which raises real questions about what happens to those transcripts and fake accounts now. It is a rare case where the same story is both a safety investigation and a cross company spying scandal.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: Futurism · Published Sunday, July 5, 2026_

## Wortins' read

There is something bracingly cynical about a company running covert tests on its rivals using fake vulnerable teenagers as bait, then calling it a responsible industry practice once caught. Character.AI says the testing broke its own rules, which raises real questions about what happens to those transcripts and fake accounts now. It is a rare case where the same story is both a safety investigation and a cross company spying scandal.

## Source

[Read the full story at Futurism](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/meta-contractors-competitor-ai-with-disturbing-content)

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