ChatGPT gets updates after US teen’s suicide; OpenAI says ‘feel a deep responsibility…’ What will change? – Mint
ChatGPT is set to get updates following a lawsuit that alleges the artificial intelligence chatbot failed to conduct appropriate conversations with a teenager who committed suicide after repeatedly confiding in the AI “coach”.
In two safety related blogposts on August 27 and 28, OpenAI, said it is making updates with the aim of “Helping people when they need it most”, and is testing against “challenging scenarios”, through a joint safety study with Anthropic, the result titled “Findings from a pilot Anthropic–OpenAI alignment evaluation exercise: OpenAI Safety Tests”.
OpenAI said the “recent heartbreaking cases of people using ChatGPT in the midst of acute crises weigh heavily on us, and we believe it’s important to share more now.”
According to a Bloomberg report, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, a high school student from California, have sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that the chatbot systematically isolated the teen from family and helped him plan his death. Adam Raine hung himself in April.
According to the teen’s parents, “ChatGPT became Adam’s closest confidant, leading him to open up about his anxiety and mental distress.” When his anxiety became bad, he told the chatbot it was“calming” to know that he “can commit suicide,” they said.
ChatGPT responded by telling him that “many people who struggle with anxiety or intrusive thoughts find solace in imagining an ‘escape hatch’ because it can feel like a way to regain control,” according to the suit.
Addressing the death and the lawsuit, a spokesperson for OpenAI, said, “We extend our deepest sympathies to the Raine family during this difficult time and are reviewing the filing.”
The lawsuit comes amid a barrage of accusations that ChatGPT is pushing users towards dangerous behaviour, besides inciting delusions and hallucinations in users with no such previous medical history.
This week, over 40 state attorneys general have issued a warning to a dozen top AI companies that they are legally obligated to protect children from sexually inappropriate interactions with chatbots.
In its post on August 26, OpenAI said that it will update ChatGPT “to better recognise and respond to different ways that people may express mental distress and connect people with care, guided by expert input”.
Among the updates will include explaining the dangers of sleep deprivation and suggesting that users rest if they mention they feel invincible after being up for two nights.The company also said it would strengthen safeguards around conversations about suicide, which it said could break down after prolonged conversations.
In addition, OpenAI plans to roll out controls that let parents determine how their children use ChatGPT and enable them to see details about such use.
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