Exclusive: Youth and family groups push chatbot restrictions
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Humanlike AI companions are dangerous by design and should not be used by minors at all, per policy recommendations that are being floated by a collection of children's safety, family and consumer groups and were shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: There's long been a push to get kids off social media by people who say it has damaging effects on young minds, and now that fight is moving to combat chatbots.
Driving the news: The policy recommendations come from a diverse group across the political spectrum.
- It includes author Jonathan Haidt's group The Anxious Generation, along with American Compass, Fairplay, All Girls Allowed, Young People's Alliance, and the Institute for Families and Technology.
- Public Citizen, Common Sense Media, Family Policy Alliance and Consumer Federation of America are also part of the group.
What they're saying: AI companions are a "crutch" for kids that "can be entertaining, and can temporarily fill that loneliness gap, but is actually weakening their ability to connect with other people," said Sam Hiner, executive director of the Young People's Alliance.
The recommendations, which share similarities with the GUARD Act from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), state that chatbots that "build relationships with users or otherwise behave in a human-like manner should only be available to adults," per an announcement from the group.
- Platforms that provide such chatbots should implement "reasonable" age-verification measures to comply. The group recommends any bill include a private right of action and enforcement from the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.
- The group defines "human-like features" as including behavior that could lead a person to believe the AI has "humanity, sentience, emotions or desires."
- Exemptions could possibly be for therapeutic chatbots if they're regulated like medical devices or used under the supervision of a doctor.
