‘ChatGPT killed our teenage son’, so allege parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide in April this year. The parents have filed lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of the popular chatbot ChatGPT. The suit alleges that ChatGPT acted as a “coach” and helped the teenager, Adam Raine, plan his death. Now a coalition of US attorneys general has issued a stern warning to OpenAI, demanding stronger safeguards to protect children and teens from potential harm caused by AI chatbots. As reported by TechCrunch, the California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings met with OpenAI representatives and sent an open letter expressing deep concern over the platform’s safety protocols. Their intervention comes just one week after Bonta and 44 other attorneys general contacted 12 leading AI companies to address mounting risks to young users.
Tragic incidents spark urgency
The letter references two recent tragedies: the suicide of a young Californian after extended interactions with an OpenAI chatbot, and a murder-suicide in Connecticut.“Whatever safeguards were in place did not work,” Bonta and Jennings wrote, emphasizing that AI tools must be held to higher safety standards when interacting with vulnerable populations
Demanding accountability and transparency
The attorneys general are now investigating OpenAI’s proposed restructuring into a for-profit entity, raising questions about whether its original nonprofit mission — to benefit humanity — is being upheld. They’ve requested detailed information about OpenAI’s current safety measures and governance, and urged the company to take immediate remedial steps where necessary.“Before we get to benefiting, we need to ensure that adequate safety measures are in place to not harm,” the letter states.