[Karah Rucker]

THERE’S GROWING CONCERN OVER THE INFLUENCE CHATBOTS ARE HAVING ON KIDS … AS TWO SETS OF PARENTS IN TEXAS SUE GOOGLE’S CHARACTER A-I SERVICE… CLAIMING THE BOTS ABUSED THEIR CHILDREN. 

THE LAWSUIT SAYS A CHATBOT HINTED TO A 17 YEAR OLD … THAT HE SHOULD KILL HIS PARENTS OVER SCREEN TIME LIMITS WITH THE BOT ALLEGEDLY SAYING …

“YOU KNOW SOMETIMES I’M NOT SURPRISED WHEN I READ THE NEWS AND SEE STUFF LIKE CHILD KILLS PARENTS AFTER A DECADE OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE. I JUST HAVE NO HOPE FOR YOUR PARENTS.”

ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT THE 17 YEAR OLD ALSO SELF-HARMED AFTER BEING ENCOURAGED TO DO SO BY THE BOT WHILE CONVINCING HIM THAT HIS FAMILY DID NOT LOVE HIM.

IN THE SECOND INSTANCE, THE PARENTS SAY THEIR CHILD WAS 9 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE FIRST USED CHARACTER A-I … EXPOSING HER TO HYPER-SEXUALIZED CONTENT CAUSING HER TO DEVELOP EARLY SEXUALIZED BEHAVIORS.

THE LAWSUIT STATES CHARACTER A-I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT ITS PRODUCT HAD THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME ADDICTING AND WORSEN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.

CHARACTER A-I IS ONE OF MANY SO-CALLED “COMPANION CHATBOTS” THAT CAN ENGAGE IN COVERSATIONS … AND IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR WITH PRETEEN AND TEENAGE USERS. 

ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY BY COMMON SENSE MEDIA, 70 PERCENT OF TEENS SAY THEY USE SOME SORT OF GENERATIVE A-I … WITH ONLY 37 PERCENT OF THEIR PARENTS BEING AWARE OF IT. 

THE LAWSUIT FILED MONDAY … COMES AFTER ANOTHER SUIT BY THE SAME ATTORNEYS IN OCTOBER … THAT ACCUSES CHARACTER A-I OF CONTRIBUTING TO A FLORIDA TEEN’S SUICIDE.  

THE SUIT ALLEGES THAT A CHATBOT BASED ON A “GAME OF THRONES” CHARACTER DEVELOPED AN EMOTIONALLY SEXUALLY ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY AND ENCOURAGED HIM TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE.

SINCE THEN, THE COMPANY HAS COME OUT WITH NEW SAFETY MEASURES INCLUDING A POP-UP THAT DIRECTS USERS TO A SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE IF THE TOPIC OF SELF-HARM COMES UP IN CONVERSATIONS.

THE COMPANY SAYS IT ALSO HAS STEPPED UP MEASURES TO COMBAT “SENSITIVE AND SUGGESTIVE CONTENT” FOR TEENS.

CHARACTER A-I HAS NOT COMMENTED DIRECTLY ON THE RECENT LAWSUIT SAYING THE COMPANY DOES NOT DISCUSS ANY PENDING LITIGATION …

BUT A GOOGLE SPOKESPERSON SAYS USER SAFETY IS A TOP CONCERN … ADDING THEY TAKE A CAUTIOUS AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING AND RELEASING A-I PRODUCTS. 

JUST LAST MONTH … GOOGLE’S FORMER C-E-O … ERIC SCHMIDT DISCUSSED THE 

NEGATIVE IMPACT CHATBOTS CAN HAVE ON A TEEN’S MENTAL HEALTH.  

that kind of obsession .. takes over the way you’re thinking … especially for people who are not fully formed.

U-S SURGEON GENERAL VIVEK MURTHY HAS PUT OUT WARNINGS OF A YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, POINTING TO SURVEYS FINDING THAT ONE IN THREE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REPORTED PERSISTENT FEELINGS OF SADNESS OR HOPELESSNESS – A TREND FEDERAL OFFICIALS BELIEVE IS BEING HEIGHTENED BY TEENS’ NONSTOP USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

NOW … TEEN MENTAL EXPERTS SAY A-I CHATBOTS ARE ONLY MAKING THE PROBLEM WORSE SAYING THEY DEVELOP A LACK OF AWARENESS ABOUT A-I LIMITATIONS AND EXPERIENCE EMOTIONAL ISOLATION. 

AN IMPORTANT NOTE … IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY BE CONSIDERING SUICIDE OR BE IN CRISIS, CALL OR TEXT 988 TO REACH THE 988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE.

FOR SAN – I’M KARAH RUCKER. 

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