# consumer protection

Investors are escalating spending and targeting record offerings even as safety scandals, sexual content tensions, and moderation failures intensify scrutiny. Legal setbacks and a high-profile consumer win on a $195,000 hospital bill underscore that real-world outcomes, not demos, are defining AI's value proposition. Meanwhile, early deployments show agents can replace a 10-person inbound team when tasks are codified, but they stumble in messy markets.