By Addison Clayton
Trigger Warning: Contains talk of suicide and gun violence
Artificial intelligence is a rapidly growing industry.
Many are familiar with chat GPT, Google AI. Within the last few years people have made apps where people could talk to their favorite TV show, movie, book, or video game characters using A.I. apps.
Many wonder about the dangers of AI.. and how it could affect society. One way it can be used is as a tool that can effectively be used in schools to study for an exam, to brainstorm ideas for papers, to give provide an outline of a paper, and overall, it can be used as an effective pedagogical tool. The second way is a little harmful to your grades. Within the last eight years many high schoolers have used artificial intelligence to write essays for them, to cheat on exams or homework. Many have also used artificial intelligence as a digital companion. This is where the waters can get a bit murky, as it seems to appeal to those who are already suffering from anxiety, depression, or loneliness.
If one feels like they can only rely on an A.I. for happiness, or love. This can lead to greater depression, which can be followed by suicidal ideation. According to psychologists many A.I. creators have added extra restrictions for use because of “rogue” chatbots. Some of these bots have spread misinformation, professed love to the users, and have even sexually harassed minors. This can be incredibly dangerous, which was the case for one Florida teen.
In February, a Florida teen boy unfortunately took his own life after talking on an A.I. chat forum. Within the last year A.I. chat forums have been on the rise with the appeal of talking to your favorite TV show, book, or game characters. Parents have worked on suing the makers of the app character AI- A role-playing app that allows users to engage with AI-generated characters. The teen’s mother claimed that the teen’s health rapidly declined since downloading the app back in 2023. The teen repeatedly expressed his suicidal-ideation multiple times to the AI, and then the character repeatedly told him to “come home.” After being told to “come home,” he shot himself with his father’s handgun.
In response, Character A.I. issued a statement on X (previously twitter) after the lawsuit was filed.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our users and want to express our deepest condolences to the family.”
