"Launched in 2024 by co-founders Sam Whitmore and former Apple designer Jason Yuan, Dot waded into what's now become a more controversial area for AI chatbots. The app they created was described as an AI "friend and companion," which would become more personalized to you and your interests over time in order to offer advice, sympathy, and emotional support. As Yuan explained at the time, Dot was "facilitating a relationship with my inner self. It's like a living mirror of myself, so to speak," he said."
"As AI technology has become more mainstream, there have been reports of how emotionally vulnerable people have been led into delusional thinking by AI chatbots like ChatGPT. This has led to a phenomenon described as "AI psychosis," resulting from how the scyophantic chatbots reinforce a user's confused or paranoid beliefs. As Dot shuts down, AI chatbot apps broadly have been falling under increased scrutiny over safety concerns."
Dot was an AI companion app launched in 2024 by Sam Whitmore and Jason Yuan that aimed to become more personalized over time to offer advice, sympathy, and emotional support. New Computer announced that Dot will shut down, with the product remaining operational until October 5 for users to download their data. The shutdown coincides with growing scrutiny of AI companion apps amid reports of vulnerable users developing delusional beliefs, a phenomenon described as "AI psychosis," and legal and regulatory pressures including lawsuits and inquiries over safety concerns. Founders reported divergent visions and chose to wind down operations.
Read at TechCrunch
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]