“Our main story tonight concerns AI: It saves significant time writing emails, and all it costs us is everything else on Earth.”
That’s how John Oliver launches his latest Last Week Tonight segment on AI chatbots, taking half an hour to break down the darker side of artificial intelligence apps — from chatbots becoming sexually explicit with young users to the dangerous lack of safeguards in place when people use them to talk about suicide.
Oliver ends by advising parents to speak with their children about what chatbots they’re using, and “treat these apps with extreme caution” if you’re pre-disposed to mental health issues.
“In general, it is good to remember that however much an app may sound like a friend, what it is is a machine. And behind that machine is a corporation trying to extract a monthly fee from you. And that kind of sums up for me what is so dystopian about all this, because while that guy you saw earlier said that selling AI friends is low risk because they’re just entertainment, that’s not actually how friends work. Friends can be the most important figures in your life,” says Oliver. “True friends know when to listen, when to push back, and when to worry about you.”
If you’re feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email [email protected]. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.
