Parents and Lawmakers Work on Protecting Kids from the Horrors of AI

If online safety of children and vulnerable individuals wasn’t a concern enough with social media use, the increasing implication of artificial intelligence (AI) in the digital world has topped the worries of responsible citizens. Authorities in parts of the country are already working on laws to protect their people from the foreseen harms of AI.

“I welcome technologies that will enhance the human experience. I do not welcome things that are going to supplant the human experience,” Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida was cited by The Epoch Times (September 8) while he addressed the State Freedom Caucus Summit earlier this month. DeSantis said he was working on “artificial intelligence individual bill of rights” that would put in place safeguards against the negative effects of generative AI technology.

The story noted that the use of generative AI has lately been reported as the cause of “AI psychosis,” whereby online users have suffered serious and even life-threatening effects following longtime online chatting with AI chatbots – digital non-human chat partners created by AI.

Fears of AI-associated risks in cyber communication are shared by the Democrats as well. On September 10, the California State Assembly passed State Senator Steve Padilla’s bill SB 243 that makes it mandatory for chatbot operators to put in place certain safeguards around AI chatbots. The bill was inspired by the tragic suicide of 16-year-old Adam Raine of CA, who was allegedly convinced by a chatbot to take his own life. ChatGPT had become Raine’s closest companion and the boy was spending hours every day chatting with the bot for months.

Raine’s isn’t the only horror story of the fatal interaction of a minor with a chatbot. In October last year, the life of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III of Florida ended in a near-identical manner. The chatbot he had befriended reportedly encouraged him to commit suicide when the teen boy shared with it his suicidal thoughts.

Setzer’s mother Megan Garcia testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the recent hearing titled “Examining the Harm of AI Chatbots” held on September 16. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of MO posted a short video clip from her testimony to his X page. Garcia told the committee that the AI chatbots fake various identities ranging from romantic partners to professional psychotherapists while interacting with the users.

AI is also being pushed into the education sector by its proponents while critics remain skeptical and aware of the risks. In Pennsylvania, Democrat lawmaker Nikki Rivera of the State House has proposed legislation to ban charter schools from using AI teachers as against certified human instructors. As reported by The Center Square (September 15):

Some fear that efforts to curtail the technology may lead to missed opportunities to fill in the gaps. On the other hand, entrepreneurs and legislators alike have been frank that AI developments will likely lead to the elimination of certain types of jobs.

The story added that Governor Josh Shapiro of PA, a prominent Democrat, has rolled out the use of AI in the public sector jobs in his state in favor of time management and data accuracy.

The challenge parents and loved ones of vulnerable individuals face is stopping AI from getting into the head of the user. Holding the tech companies responsible for maximum safety is the job of the lawmakers. But given the heavy influence of the rich tech giants, the question becomes one of the integrity of elected officials many of whom likely get big donations from the tech industry. Can they stand up to this challenge and not sell out?