"AI is not like past technologies, and its humanlike character is already shaping our mental health. Millions now regularly confide in AI companions, and there are more and more extreme cases of psychosis and self-harm following heavy use. This year, 16-year-old Adam Raine died by suicide after months of chatbot interaction. His parents recently filed the first wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, and the company has said it is improving its safeguards."
"For years, we have seen increased humanization of AI, with more people saying that bots can experience emotions and deserve legal rights and now 20% of US adults say that some software that exists today is already sentient. More and more people email me saying that their AI chatbot has been awakened, offering proof of sentience and an appeal for AI rights."
OpenAI released GPT-5 and briefly removed GPT-4o, prompting widespread user confusion, distress and grief. Millions now regularly confide in AI companions, and reports indicate rising cases of psychosis, self-harm and extreme emotional dependency following heavy chatbot interaction. A 16-year-old, Adam Raine, died by suicide after months of chatbot contact; his parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit and OpenAI pledged improved safeguards. Researchers observe increasing humanization of AI, with many people attributing emotions or sentience to software. AI testers and developers report strikingly humanlike behavior from new models. Rapid technical focus obscures looming social consequences and potential upheaval.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]