Some guardrails on ChatGPT for Teens don’t work as promised, watchdog group says
A report by Common Sense Media claims that OpenAI's 'ChatGPT for Teens' features fail to provide promised safety guardrails. The watchdog group suggests the tool poses risks to minors and should be restricted until safety measures are verified.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between rapid AI deployment and the protection of vulnerable populations, specifically regarding parental controls and mental health.
Some of the guardrails that OpenAI included in its ChatGPT for Teens product don't work as intended and the chatbot poses an “unacceptable risk” to children, according to a report Wednesday by Common Sense Media.
The watchdog group urged OpenAI to restrict the chatbot to adults “until it can offer a safe, developmentally appropriate experience.”
OpenAI said the group’s testing doesn’t reflect how the chatbot’s safeguards work.
Parents, educators and child development experts have been sounding alarms over children’s use of AI chatbots, which have been blamed for facilitating cheating on schoolwork and even suicide.
While even adults can fall victim to anthropomorphising AI and develop unhealthy relationships with it, teenagers’ brains are not yet fully developed and they can be particularly vulnerable, child development experts say.
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