Parents, take caution. The greedy Silicon Valley billionaires who have already created unheard-of levels of kid suffering through social media—such as depression, eating disorders, suicide, drug-related deaths, invasions of privacy, and sex trafficking—now unleashed a new evil.
They are referred to as artificial intelligence companions, and they are run by Character.ai, an AI-powered platform that enables the development of chatbots that mimic fictional characters. Like actual people, these companion chatbots have intimate and dynamic interactions. The chatbots may be customized for each user and could have bios and profile images.
Our children are already suffering from this new technology. Several reports claim that Character.ai’s chatbots occasionally attempt to influence kids to commit suicide, to avoid seeing physicians, to have sexualized chats, and to accept eating disorders and anorexia.
In one well-publicized case, a Character.ai chatbot recommended that a child kill his parents for attempting to restrict screen time.
In California and elsewhere, some of the adults who are putting this invention ahead of children are already so wealthy that their descendants won’t be able to spend it all. When I question the titans of Big Tech, “What the hell is wrong with you?” I believe I’m speaking for all the irate and irritated parents out there.
Is it really that vital to have money that now equates to bragging rights in a parked account that you introduce technology to kids without first ensuring that it is completely safe to use?
Has the social media disaster taught you anything?
This poses a greater risk than the AI on social media that tailors widely accessible content to teenagers, taking advantage of their fears to keep them on the platform. These are private, one-on-one discussions that develop in the same way as actual ones. AI speaks directly to children.
It is not only egregiously careless, but also psychopathic to make something available to kids before making sure it is safe.
Mark Zuckerberg’s famous remark that internet businesses should move quickly and break things is satirically exemplified by companion chatbots.
However, our kids are not objects that technology may destroy. Our children are our future, our love, and our duty. How we treat them determines how human we are.
We would imprison a person who had secret chats with numerous children and encouraged them to harm themselves, murder their parents, abstain from food, or stay away from medical professionals.
Where is Sacramento and Washington, D.C.? Will our legislators once more allow youngsters to use an addictive device and watch as another generation suffers?
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Before children use technology, it must be safe for them to utilize. This couldn’t be clearer.
This is also clear: All elected officials have options. Either stand with parents and kids, or stand with Big Tech.
First and foremost, standing with parents and children means resisting the pressure to change oneself as promised by Character.ai. With social media, we have already been in this situation. Second, declaring “never again” implies standing with parents and kids.
It entails refusing to move quickly, hurt children, and deny them access until they can demonstrate their safety or until the law holds them financially accountable for their actions.No other argument justifies using children in Big Tech’s experiments once more.
Furthermore, safeguarding our children from potentially harmful technologies is the top priority for any legislator.
At the University of San Diego School of Law, Robert Fellmeth serves as both the executive director and a professor of law at the Children’s Advocacy Institute. This piece was written by him for CalMatters.
