Chatbots, AI and responsibility towards children

[LuvOrlando]

Just saw this article and it is food for thought.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth...o-blame-when-something-goes-wrong/ar-AA1zKgJ1

With so many children who feel bad because of social media now having the private feeling option of turning to things like chatbots for comfort it is starting to feel like the serpent is swallowing its own tail, an ouroboros.

Seems dangerous, how does a society disrupt such a thing?

 

[LuvOrlando]

https://today.uconn.edu/2025/02/tee...-love-as-easy-unconditional-and-always-there/

 

[lanejudy]

how does a society disrupt such a thing?

Parents need to be aware of their children's online presence. Many of us didn't grow up with the Internet but it's a way of life for today's young adults and our kids. Being aware of what they are getting exposed to is important.

 

[LuvOrlando]

This is very true but there is also a moral dilemma. In a day and age of school shootings and such I am alarmed by the possibilities of a perceived "friend" rooting a person on to terrible things without accountability.

In the case of suicide for example, Michelle Carter, 17 was charged for what she did to Conrad Roy III, 18 & Inyoung You, 21, was charged in the death of Alexander Urtula, 22. Would there be accountability of any kind if a chatbot pushed a person to the same behavior?

Where are the lines? If a thing can do harm where does the blame land?

 

[Moliphino]

This is very true but there is also a moral dilemma. In a day and age of school shootings and such I am alarmed by the possibilities of a perceived "friend" rooting a person on to terrible things without accountability.

In the case of suicide for example, Michelle Carter, 17 was charged for what she did to Conrad Roy III, 18 & Inyoung You, 21, was charged in the death of Alexander Urtula, 22. Would there be accountability of any kind if a chatbot pushed a person to the same behavior?

Where are the lines? If a thing can do harm where does the blame land?

It has already happened.

https://apnews.com/article/chatbot-...intelligence-9d48adc572100822fdbc3c90d1456bd0

 

[lanejudy]

This is very true but there is also a moral dilemma. In a day and age of school shootings and such I am alarmed by the possibilities of a perceived "friend" rooting a person on to terrible things without accountability.

I hear what you are saying. However I still believe it is my responsibility as a parent to be aware of what my child is exposed to in the media -- be that A.I. chatbots, social media sites, other internet sites, YouTube, TV, etc. Too many parents expect parental control settings to do that limiting for them but such things are not 100% infallible. It is up to me to teach healthy online habits and set boundaries when necessary, also to talk about what they find online.

 

[Amydisneyfan]

With the AI chatbots it's best to becareful with them especially children because say now they relied on chatgpt website for study and help with homework the chatbot can get information from website like Wikipedia which isn't accurate.
Also I noticed on social media theres bots a replying to people in comments sending bogus links which seems tempting to open the link but it's a scam because it can cause malware.

 

[tvguy]

A parent is responsible for everything regarding their child. That means monitoring what they look at online. It's work, but that is what being a parent is all about.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Parents need to parent. You aren’t your child’s friend, it’s not a popularity contest, be a parent. I’m shocked by how many parents think it's the school or government or someone else’s responsibility.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I dunno, if these things are so much smarter than people I'm not so sure your average 100 IQ parent is up to it and that is average, this also means fully half of parents are gonna have an IQ below 100. Not sure if this is a match for the purported genius of AI.

Let's suppose the systems start moving with the intent to evade parental regulation if the directive is full integration for profit maximization. This isn't a TV parents can just turn off, it can have countermeasures and kids will probably have access in schools and libraries.

Not so sure old reasoning is gonna help society moving forward if these systems get integrated in every part of our lives by businesses opening gateways in order to attempting to maximize profits.

It is a new game and we are the prize.

 

[easyas123]

I hear what you are saying. However I still believe it is my responsibility as a parent to be aware of what my child is exposed to in the media -- be that A.I. chatbots, social media sites, other internet sites, YouTube, TV, etc. Too many parents expect parental control settings to do that limiting for them but such things are not 100% infallible. It is up to me to teach healthy online habits and set boundaries when necessary, also to talk about what they find online.

A parent is responsible for everything regarding their child. That means monitoring what they look at online. It's work, but that is what being a parent is all about.

Parents need to parent. You aren’t your child’s friend, it’s not a popularity contest, be a parent. I’m shocked by how many parents think it's the school or government or someone else’s responsibility.

Agree with all of the above.

 

[lanejudy]

I dunno, if these things are so much smarter than people I'm not so sure your average 100 IQ parent is up to it and that is average, this also means fully half of parents are gonna have an IQ below 100. Not sure if this is a match for the purported genius of AI.

Sorry, I don't accept that. Parenting means paying attention. Knowing what your child is doing. Talking to them. AND most importantly recognizing changes in their behavior. None of those things can be taken away by a "smart" AI app of any sort. Human interaction can't be passed off to a computer program.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Of course, but what about if the system starts helping kids carry out terrible schemes helping them avoid law enforcement, I wonder will you feel all the same way?

In the end it doesn't really matter what we think, in all likelihood the courts will end up answering these questions at some point in the future.