In June, the National Eating Disorders Association decided to shut down an AI-powered chatbot called Tessa. “She” was supposed to serve as a 24-hour counselor for people dealing with eating disorders. Instead, psychologists and activists found Tessa was offering dieting tips.
In the me-first race to adopt AI and push new products out into the world, there are headlines everywhere that freak us out. Some 1,400 leading technologists are imploring companies in this technology arms race to pause. Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, has recommended the formation of a global consortium on the level of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to avoid the catastrophic outcomes that could result from the misuse of AI.
All of us are…