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Roblox, a gaming app used by nearly half of the entire U.S. population of under-16s, has rolled out a new mandatory safety feature to put a stop to children communicating with adults on the platform. Starting on January 7, players in the U.S. were required to submit to facial age estimation via the app to access the chat feature, although age verification remains optional to play the games themselves. Users in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands are already required to complete an age check to chat with other users, but the requirement will now roll out to the U.S. and beyond. The verification is being processed by a third-party vendor, Persona. Once the age check is processed, Roblox says it will delete any images or videos of users. If the age-check process incorrectly estimates a users age, the decision can be appealed and the child’s age verified through alternative methods. Users 13 or older may also opt for ID-based checks. Once users complete the age check, they are assigned to one of six age groups (under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+). Users can only communicate with players directly above and below their own age group. For example, a 9-year-old cannot chat with users older than 15, and a 16-year-old can only chat with those ages 13 to 20. The feature is designed to prevent children younger than 16 from communicating with adults. About 42% of Roblox users are younger than 13. “As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety,” wrote Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, and Rajiv Bhatia, its head of user and discovery product, in a blog post. Parental consent is still required for users younger than 9 to access chat features, while age-checked users 13 and older can chat with people they know beyond their immediate age group via the Trusted Connections feature. Leveraging multiple signals, [Roblox is] constantly evaluating user behavior to determine if someone is significantly older or younger than expected, the company execs continued. In these situations, we will begin asking users to repeat the age-check process. The face scan is launching as the company faces increased scrutiny over child safety on the app. Attorneys general around the country are investigating Roblox, and nearly 80 active lawsuits accuse Roblox of enabling child exploitation, with some parents alleging their children encountered predators on the app.
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E-Commerce
Although there is no shortage of AI enthusiasts, the general public remains uneasy about artificial intelligence. Two concerns dominate the conversation, both amplified by popular and business media. The first is AIs capacity to automate work, fueling widespread FOBO, or fear of becoming obsolete. The second is AIs tendency to reproduce or even exacerbate human bias. On the first, the evidence remains mixed. The clearest signal so far is not the wholesale replacement of jobs, but the automation of tasks and skills within jobs. Most workers are less likely to lose their roles outright than to be forced to rethink what they do at work and where they add value. In that sense, AI is less an executioner than a pressure test on human contribution. As we have previously noted, AI is exposing the BS economy, in the sense of automating low-value activity and commoditizing whats not relevant. On the second, however, concerns feel more visceral, since theres clear evidence of AI amplifying or at least perpetuating human biases. Indeed, algorithms replicate the loudest and most common outcomes. Tools trained on historical hiring and promotion data mirror the demographic preferences of past decision-makersoverlooking qualified candidates and harming both those individuals and the organizations that end up missing out on better talent. Large language models producing outputs that disadvantage marginalized users because of skewed training data. Add to this the political and moral assumptions embedded, often unintentionally, in AI systems, and its easy to conclude that AI is simply a faster, colder version of human prejudice. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} To be sure, AI will never be bias-free. And yet it can still be less biased than humans (okay, its a low bar). Importantly, under the right conditions, it can make things a lot better. Humans are biased, but thats not a bug, its a feature. Its a consequence of cognitive shortcuts that evolved for speed and survival. But survival is knee-jerk, and often optimizes for the immediateand shortchanges the long-term success that comes from thoughtfulness and fairness. Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman showed us how quick decisions are often suboptimal, yet we rely on those quick, intuitive decisions frequently, and even more frequently when we are under stress and time pressure. Yet one of the great strengths of humanity is that we are also capable of reflection and correction. And AI is in some ways uniquely suited to help counteract predictable distortions that have plagued humanity for centuries. Consider six ways this is already beginning to happen. 1. AI can help us better understand others AI is now embedded in many of the platforms we use to communicate at work. Increasingly, it can analyze patterns in language, tone, and behavior to infer emotional states, intentions, or levels of engagement. Tools like Textio help us get out of our own way by flagging language thats not aligned to our goals. These systems are far from perfect, but they dont need to be. They simply need to outperform the average human in situations where human judgment is weakest. Research on emotional intelligence shows that people are generally better at reading members of their own group than outsiders. Cultural distance, unfamiliar communication styles, and implicit stereotypes distort perception. AI systems trained on data from different cultures and groups can sometimes decode signals more consistently than humans navigating unfamiliar social terrain. Theres evidence that using technologies like VR to experience others realities can build lasting empathy. Used responsibly, these kinds of augmentation can support empathy rather than replace it, helping people pause before misinterpreting disagreement as hostility or silence as disengagement. 2. AI can force us to confront alternative viewpoints One of the ironies of AI criticism is that we often accuse systems of bias as a way of deflecting attention from our own. When people complain that generative AI is politically or ideologically slanted, they are usually revealing where they themselves stand. Properly designed, AI can be used to surface competing perspectives rather than reinforce echo chambers. Whats more, AI can do this by framing arguments and evidence in ways that make them easier to understand and accept without triggering judgment or combativeness. For example, leaders can ask AI to articulate the strongest possible case against their preferred strategy, or to rewrite a proposal from the perspective of different stakeholders. In conflict resolution, AI can summarize disagreements in neutral language, stripping away emotional triggers while preserving substance. This doesnt make AI objective, but it can make us less lazy. By lowering the cognitive and emotional cost of perspective taking, AI can help counteract confirmation bias, one of the most pervasive and damaging distortions in organizational life. 3. AI can improve meritocracy in hiring and promotion Few domains are as saturated with bias as talent decisions. Decades of research show that human intuition performs poorly when predicting job performance, yet confidence in gut feeling remains stubbornly high. When trained on clean data and validated against real outcomes, AI consistently outperforms unstructured human judgment for job decisions. This is not just because algorithms can process more information, but because they can ignore information humans struggle to disregard. Demographic cues, accents, schools, and social similarity exert a powerful pull on human decisin-makers even when they believe theyre being fair. Well-designed AI systems can also be updated as job requirements evolve, allowing them to unlearn outdated assumptions. Humans, by contrast, often cling to obsolete success profiles long after they stop predicting performance. AI does not guarantee fairness, but it can move decisions closer to evidence and further from intuition. 4. AI can make bias visible rather than invisible One of the most underestimated benefits of AI is its diagnostic power. Algorithms can reveal patterns humans prefer not to see. Disparities in performance ratings, promotion velocity, pay progression, or feedback language are often dismissed as anecdotal until AI surfaces them at scale. When bias remains implicit, its easy to deny. When its quantified, it becomes discussable. Used transparently, AI can help organizations audit their own behavior and hold themselves accountable. For example, AI can help identify whether specific interview questions (or interviewers) are driving unexpectedly uneven outcomesso that the questions used are more likely to help pick the most qualified candidates. Importantly, this shifts bias reduction from moral aspiration to operational reality. 5. AI can slow us down at the right moments Bias thrives under speed, pressure, and ambiguity. Many of the most consequential workplace decisions are made quickly, under cognitive load, and with incomplete information. AI can introduce friction where it matters. By flagging inconsistent judgments, prompting justification, or suggesting structured criteria, AI can act as a cognitive speed bump. It doesnt remove responsibility from humans. It reminds them that intuition isnt always insight. 6. AI can help us understand ourselves, not just others Bias does not only distort how we judge other people. It also shapes how we see ourselves. Research on self-assessment consistently shows that people are poor judges of their own abilities, impact, and behavior. We overestimate our strengths, underestimate our blind spots, and rationalize patterns that others notice immediately. AI can help close this self-awareness gap. One increasingly common use case is AI as a coach or reflective mirror. Unlike human feedback, which is often delayed, filtered, or softened, AI can analyze large volumes of behavioral data and surface patterns that individuals struggle to see on their own. This might include identifying communication habits that derail meetings, emotional triggers that precede conflict, or leadership behaviors that correlate with disengagement in teams. Consider how AI is already being used to summarize feedback from performance reviews, engagement surveys, or 360 assessments. Rather than relying on selective memory or defensiveness, individuals can see recurring themes across contexts and time. This reduces self-serving bias, the tendency to attribute successes to skill and failures to circumstance. The same logic explains the growing popularity of AI as a therapeutic or coaching aid. AI systems dont replace trained professionals, but they can prompt reflection, ask structured questions, and challenge inconsistencies in peoples narratives. Because AI has no ego, no reputation to manage, and no emotional investment in the users self-image, it can sometimes feel safer to explore uncomfortable insights with a machine than with another human. Of course, self-awareness without judgment is not the same as wisdom. AI can highlight patterns, but humans must interpret and act on them. Used responsibly, however, AI can help individuals recognize how their intentions differ from their impact, how their habits shape outcomes, and how their own biases show up in everyday decisionsand it can help monitor and reinforce progress to support lasting change In that sense, AIs most underappreciated debiasing potential may not lie in correcting how we evaluate others but in helping us see ourselves more clearly. A necessary note of caution None of this implies that AI automatically reduces bias. Poorly designed systems can amplify inequality faster than any individual manager ever could. Debiasing requires intentional choices: representative data, continuous monitoring, transparency, and human oversight. The real danger is not trusting AI too muchits using AI carelessly while pretending its neutral. Bias is a human problem before its a technological one. AI simply forces us to confront it more explicitly. Used well, AI can help organizations move closer to the meritocratic ideals they already claim to valueand that help organizations be successful. Used badly, it will expose the gap between rhetoric and reality. The question is not whether AI will shape workplace decisions. It already does. The real question is whether we will use it to reinforce our blind spots, or to finally see them more clearly. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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Just four days into the new year, awards season kicked off with the Critics Choice Awards. One week later, it’s time for the Golden Globes to shine. The 83rd edition of this star-studded eventwhich takes place on Sunday, January 11, in Beverly Hills, Californiacelebrates greatness in both television and film. Heres everything you need to know about the big night, including how to tune in. History and past controversy of the Golden Globe Awards The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the former organization behind the Golden Globes, was founded in 1943. Under this banner, journalists came together to create an awards ceremony to honor the artists they covered. The first event took place the following year, in 1944. A 2021 Los Angeles Times article revealed several issues within the HFPA, including a complete lack of Black members. This caused many organizations and individuals to boycott the 2022 Globes. NBC declined to air the ceremony, Tom Cruise gave awards back, and several studios distanced themselves. Because of HFPAs many issues, the organization was dissolved and the Globes were sold to Penske Media Eldridge, becoming a for-profit institution. Many are critical of this venture, viewing it as a conflict of interest, as the L.A. Times reported. Penske also owns Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the Globes, and several trade publications such as Variety, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter. Who is hosting the 83rd Golden Globes? Despite the ongoing debate, the show must go on. Funny lady Nikki Glaser will emcee the event for her second year in a row. She will be backed up by many talented presenters, such as George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Macaulay Culkin, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Queen Latifah, and Regina Hall. Heated Rivalry fans will delight in seeing stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie outside of the “boy aquarium.” Where are the 83rd Golden Globes being held? The 2026 Golden Globes Awards will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This has been its permanent venue since 1961. Who is being honored at the 83rd Golden Globes? This is the first year that the Globes are presenting Golden Week, featuring multiple events leading up to the big night. One of these is a new prime-time special called Golden Eve, during which the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, for outstanding contributions in film and television, will be formally presented. Helen Mirren will receive the former, and Sarah Jessica Parker, the latter. This event aired on Thursday, January 8, but if you missed it, you can watch it after the fact on Paramount+. Who is nominated for a 2026 Golden Globe Award? In the movie world, One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Andersons dark action comedy, leads the pack with nine nominations. Closely on its heels is the Norwegian film Sentimental Value, starring Stellan Skarsgrd. Ryan Cooglers Sinners has seven nods, while Chloé Zhaos Hamnet received six. Both Wicked: For Good and Frankenstein were honored with five nominations. In the television realm, HBOs White Lotus continues its dominance at the Globes with six nominations, while all of Netflixs shows combined received 22. The proposed merger between Netflix and HBO’s parent company could potentially increase Netflixs laurels. Adolescence came in second place with five nods. Only Murders in the Building and Severance tied for third with four each. How to watch the Golden Globes pre-show If you are in it for the fashion, you have red-carpet-arrivals viewing options. The official Golden Globes pre-show will be hosted by Varietys Marc Malkin and Angelique Jackson. It begins at 6:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed for free on Fire TV, Varietys YouTube channel, or Variety.com. Live From E!: Golden Globes 2026 will be hosted by Zuri Hall, Justin Sylvester, and Keltie Knight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. It is available on the E! network and Peacock. How to watch the 83rd Golden Globes Now onto the main event: The 83rd Golden Globes ceremony will air on the CBS broadcast network and on the Paramount+ streaming service. The awards take place tonight (Sunday, January 11) from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. You will need the Paramount+ Premium service to stream the event in real time. Those with Paramount+ Essential subscriptions will have to wait until the next day to view the awards show. If Paramount+ is not in your streaming arsenal, consider other live-TV streaming services that carry CBS, such as DirecTV, Fubo, or Hulu + Live TV. Just be sure to double-check regional differences before committing to another monthly subscription. And remember that CBS is free if you have an over-the-air antenna.
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When the inevitable robot uprising comes, Ill be ready, thanks to some valuable lessons I picked up at CES. First, if given the choice of a dance off versus hand to hand combat, opt for the fight. Second, wear a cup when you do. Robotics company Unitree showcased its G-1 humanoid robot at the show. The G-1 is a rarity in the robotic world in that its already on the market for under $15,000. Unitrees booth was an ongoing spectacle, surrounded by people eager for a close look at the dapperlooking unit, wearing a white shirt and button down vest, showcasing impressive dance skills, throwing down moves that even Shabba-Doo and Bugaloo Shrimp could respect. There was another G-1, too — this one with a decidedly more combative directive. By sheer luck, I found myself being asked if I’d like to strap on the gloves and go a round with the G-1. After being force-fed the technology for the better part of a week, I wasnt going to turn down an opportunity to whale on a robot. The fight seemed fixed from the start, though. The G-1 had headgear. None was offered to myself or any other meatbag who stepped into the ring. Its gloves were a cherry red pair from Everlast. The ones velcro’d onto my hands? Salmon colored. As the fight started, I knew I had a few advantages and a few disadvantages. The robot had me beat on strength and stamina, but I had the reach on it. I also had just enough boxing knowledge to know that the best approach was a combination of jabs and upper cuts and to keep my distance. What I didn’t count on was that my height advantage meant that when the robot began swinging, it was mostly at crotch level. I landed several solid shots on its chest cavity, sometimes hard enough to push it back and make it stagger — but, good grief, can that thing take a hit. It just kept coming. The G-1 was terrible at protecting its head, so I focused my next round of punches square in where its nose would have been, had it had to worry about things like oxygen (which, by that point, I was gulping). That hardly slowed it down, but it might have caused some traumatic cranial injuries, as the robot then threw a wild punch combination in the air, completely off target. In the interest of science, I did allow it to land a few hits (with my hip turned). While it wasnt utilizing all of its robotic strength when it hit me, I could feel it. After about four minutes, the robot laid down on the ground and pretended to be knocked out — the company’s way of saying “Ok, time for someone else to have a turn.” When it hopped back up, we posed for a picture together. But I swear it looked ready to throw a few more jabs my way.
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E-Commerce
There are few things more evocative of the free American spirit and the nations wide-open spaces than the image of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle zooming down a stretch of empty highway. But while taking one of the legendary hogs for a spin may still be liberating for riders, the companys independent dealership owners are feeling an increasingly tight financial and business squeeze. A rash of reports in recent weeks have sounded alarms about the troubles Harley dealers face, and the rising number of dealerships closing shop as a result. While Harley-Davidson still counts more than 650 of those locations in operation across the U.S., specialist automotive media warn that those numbers have been significantly decreasing as sales of the beefy motorcycles decline, and dealer operating costs grow. I hate to admit this, but there are too many dealers for the number of new vehicles that are being sold today, second-generation Harley dealership owner George Gatto told the motorcycle publication RevZilla. Margins on the new bikes are the worst weve ever seen . . . Theyre not making any money. As a result, owners of a growing number of Harley-Davidson dealerships have hung the Closed sign for good. Those include some well-known, high-profile stores in New York City and Florida, and the century-old Dudley Perkins location in San Francisco. But reports say many more closures in smaller cities and towns across the U.S. drew far less attention while adding to the tally of shuttered businesses. That turn of events marks a swift reversal of Harley-Davidsons fortunes, and now leaves many independent dealers and the mother company itself fighting for survival. As was the case with many companies selling comparatively expensive goods, the effects of COVID-19 created a sales boom for Harley-Davidson and its dealers. Government stimulus checks and rock-bottom interest rates allowed some consumers whod never had the money to afford a hog to buy one after 2020. More conservative consumers whod had the funds but waited also took the plunge. Meanwhile, as happened in the auto sector, disrupted supply chains limited Harley inventories, allowing dealers to charge top dollar to customers they added to increasingly long waiting lists. Business had never been so good. Flush with rising revenue, many dealership owners splurged on upgrades and expansions of their showrooms. Those who didnt were eventually obliged to do so by Harley-Davidson corporate policies that require dealers to abide by centralized rules, and adopt decisions made by the mothership. But once those dealership improvement investments were madedriving occupation, heat, and maintenance costs higher as a resultthe sales boom petered out. Consumers facing spiking inflation, rising interest rates, tightening job markets, and other hardening realities of post-pandemic life could no longer give $24,000 to $40,000 Harleys another thought. But at the same time, motorcycles churned out by manufacturers seeking to catch up with demand continued flowing into showrooms, further boosting dealer inventory costs. The same was true of Harley-Davidson-branded motorcycle equipment. Even as that gear gushed into dealerships, Harley-Davidson corporate managers continued developing their booming e-commerce platform, which cut out intermediaries like dealers by selling directly to consumers. They overproduced, so what do they do? Gatto said of the converging developments that cost dealers dearly. They mark it down 40%, 50%, 60% online, with free shipping. Why would you go into a dealership when youre getting half off online? According to the recent reports, Harley-Davidsons corporate leadershipnow led by new CEO Artie Starrs, who took over in Octoberresponded to the downturn by shrinking the list of centralized rules dealers must follow. The company reduced other requirements, including minimum inventory volumes, to help ease financial pressure on dealership owners. While that may ease some of the pain, the fear is that continually falling demand may prove the far more dangerous threat. The COVID-era boom aside, Harley-Davidsons unit sales have dropped by 45% over the past decade. That was again reflected in the companys third quarter 2025 results, which reported a global sales decline of 6%5% in the U.S. Those latter figures led Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz to warn that it will take a lot of work, and a lasting return of robust sales, for Harley-Davidson and its independent dealers to start riding easy again. There is little evidence that a recovery for motorcycle demand is in the cards anytime soon, Katz wrote in an investors memo following third-quarter results. After multiple years of inventory reduction at dealers, the firm has yet to find equilibrium and has signaled further unit reductions to protect dealer profitability. By Bruce Crumley This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister site, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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