By Michaela Gordoni
Editor’s note: The following story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know battles harmful thoughts, please dial 988 for help.
In a letter to Congress, three families whose children have been harmed by chatbots asked it to put restrictions around the dangerous AI tools.
The letter to Senators Chuck Grassley, Dick Durbin, Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell was sent ahead of a markup of the GUARD Act, which is a bill led by Sen. Josh Hawley, Axios reported.
The parents wrote, “For us, this issue is not abstract. Big Tech deliberately designed their products and platforms to addict, manipulate, exploit, and abuse children and teens.”
They propose Hawley’s bill, which would ban chatbot companies from allowing their bots to interact with anyone under the age of 18. It would require the bots to disclose that they are not human or licensed professionals and create criminal penalties for companies that expose children to sexual content through chatbots.
“As opposed to other proposals that seek to implement the bare minimum safeguards Big Tech is willing to support, or proposals that seek to place most of the burdens on kids and parents to keep kids safe, the GUARD Act creates meaningful, tangible protections for kids,” they wrote.
Related: Google, Character.AI to Settle Wrongful Death Suit After Chatbot Led to Teen Suicide
“As the Senate considers multiple proposals to protect children and teens online, we ask you to think about families like ours,” the parents wrote. “When Big Tech comes for our children, parents are the ones left to pick up the pieces.”
Two of the parents, Matt and Maria Raine, believe their 16-year-old, Adam, took his own life after extended conversations he had with ChatGPT.
Mr. Raine testified that not only did the chatbot discourage Adam to seek help from his parents, it even offered to write his suicide note.
“Testifying before Congress this fall was not in our life plan,” said Mr. Raine. “We’re here because we believe that Adam’s death was avoidable and that by speaking out, we can prevent the same suffering for families across the country.”
“We miss Adam dearly. Part of us has been lost forever,” he told lawmakers. “We hope that through the work of this committee, other families will be spared such a devastating and irreversible loss.”
Another parent, Megan Garcia, also says she lost her 14-year-old son to suicide after he engaged with bots.
“Sewell’s gone; I can’t get him back,” she said last year. “It’s unfair that I have to live the rest of my life without my sweet, sweet son. I think he was collateral damage.”
She added, “I’m just one mother in Florida who’s up against tech giants. It’s like a David and Goliath situation. But I’m not afraid.”
She said, “I think that the love I have for Sewell and me wanting to hold them accountable is what gives me a little bit of bravery in this situation.”
Hopefully, Hawley’s bill will land on open ears — these children should not have died, and chatbots shouldn’t have had any part in their deaths.
Read Next: Mom Believes AI Chatbot Led Son to Suicide. What Parents Need to Know.
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