ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will introduce parental controls, a major change to the popular chatbot. The move comes a week after the California family of a teen who died by suicide, alleged in a lawsuit that the AI-powered app encouraged their son to hide his intentions.
OpenAI said in a blog post on Tuesday that, from next month, it would offer tools that allow parents to set limits for how their teens use the technology, and receive notifications if the chatbot detects that they are in “acute distress.” It said it had been working on the controls since earlier this year.
ChatGPT and other AI helpers are phenomenal accelerators, but, like performance-enhancing drugs, they carry hidden costs.Credit: AP
Parents and mental health professionals have expressed concerns about the psychological dependency that some people, including teens, can develop on chatbots. Many users say they have built close bonds with the AI tools, but in some cases hours of chatbot use appear to have led people to develop harmful beliefs.
The lawsuit filed last week by the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine against OpenAI draws on hundreds of his chats with ChatGPT in the months leading up to his death in April. The system at times offered him links to suicide helplines but at others freely discussed his thoughts about self-harm, including by analysing a photo Raine provided of the noose he used to end his life.
“Rather than take emergency action to pull a known dangerous product offline, OpenAI made vague promises to do better,” Jay Edelson, an attorney for the Raine family, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine have sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the chatbot contributed to their son’s suicide, including by advising him on methods and offering to write the first draft of his suicide note.Credit: Raine Family
In October, a Florida woman filed a lawsuit against the chatbot app Character AI, alleging it was responsible for the death by suicide of her 14-year-old son, who became emotionally attached to a chatbot modelled on a character from the “Game of Thrones” TV show. The company added new parental controls to its app in December.
More than 700 million people use ChatGPT every week, and it is popular with teens, who use the chatbot for homework help, exploring personal interests, and as a sounding board for their feelings. The Washington Post has a content partnership with OpenAI.
In a blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI described teen users as among the first “‘AI natives,’ growing up with these tools as part of daily life”. The company wrote that “that creates real opportunities for support, learning, and creativity, but it also means families and teens may need support in setting healthy guidelines that fit a teen’s unique stage of development”.
