AI chatbots have failed people in crisis. Can that be fixed?
This year alone, there have been numerous known instances—often via lawsuits—of AI chatbots (most often, OpenAI’s ChatGPT) that have gone horrifically wrong. A January lawsuit described the story of a man who took his own life after being allegedly “coached” into suicide. A college student in Georgia sued OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT “pushed him into psychosis.” In June, a Canadian family also sued OpenAI and argued that ChatGPT agreed with the young woman’s dismissiveness when it first gave her the option to seek professional mental health advice. ChatGPT allegedly “encouraged” her to end her life, too, and she did so. Read full article Comments
This year alone, there have been numerous known instances—often via lawsuits—of AI chatbots (most often, OpenAI’s ChatGPT) that have gone horrifically wrong.
A January lawsuit described the story of a man who took his own life after being allegedly “coached” into suicide. A college student in Georgia sued OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT “pushed him into psychosis.”
Clinicians and researchers say AI companies need to open up their safety data.
So what should OpenAI—and other AI companies generally—do differently to reduce harm among people who use their products? Silicon Valley is certainly aware of the legal liability it now faces as these products are being used in ways that they were not intended for, and it seems to be trying to improve.
On Thursday, OpenAI announced that it had partnered with the American Psychological Association to “bring psychological science into how we think about responsible AI development and use among young people.”
