Character.AI’s new Books mode turns reading into roleplay
TL;DR
Mired in controversy and legal woes over concerns about its chatbots' interactions with users, particularly teens, Character.
Key Points
- AI seems to be playing it safer with a new "Books" mode.
- In a blog post, Character.
Nauti's Take
Books mode is a smart pivot — structured, literature-based roleplay is harder to misuse and shows Character. AI is responding to real pressure.
Whether it's enough to restore trust is the open question: the platform's core safety problems aren't solved by a curated classic-fiction feature. Parents and educators get a more defensible use case; for everyone else, Character.
AI still has to prove its guardrails hold.