[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] some very disturbing AI behavior

[jjrudy1 at comcast.net]

I posted it because I was unaware how far this disturbing trend has gone.  You legal thoughts seem appropriate though it is always hard to know how far the controls should reach.  Deep Fakes, internet fact checking, etc. are examples where just as much (or more) harm can be created.  The suggestion to commit suicide affects only that one person and their close colleagues/relatives.  A deep fake can affect millions and countries are applying them to inter-country (and intra-country) warfare.

 

John Rudy

 

781-861-0402

781-718-8334  cell

13 Hawthorne Lane

Bedford MA

 <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> jjrudy1 at comcast.net



 

From: Robert Primak <bobprimak at yahoo.com> 
Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2025 11:07 AM
To: Lex Computer Group <lctg at lists.toku.us>; jjrudy1 at comcast.net
Cc: Jim Barron <barron at barronaw.com>
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] some very disturbing AI behavior

 

The courts have ruled that if a human did this, it would be a crime in the US. At least as much of a guardrail should apply to AI "companions". The AI's creators and/or maintainers are responsible for providing adequate guardrails. This should be codified into laws and regulations. 

 

One publication went so far as to refer to the AI as the man's "girlfriend". While no one can regulate whom or what people choose as their companions, it is clear that this AI was being used (and provided) unethically.

 

Ultimately, we must protect ourselves. There is still a component of personal responsibility, and attaching to inanimate objects or computer generated nonentities stretches my credulity about what strangeness the human mind is capable of. Regarding both those who attach and those who provide these "things" to attach to. 

 

There is still no substitute for the human element in relationships. Nursing homes are often less than ideal from this standpoint. But allowing socially isolated people (including many older Americans) to be attended to by nonhuman (inhuman?) "companions" is a huge public health cop-out. This trend needs to be stopped before it gains momentum. No one should be left to live alone unless they truly want it that way. Maybe not even then. 

 

-- Bob Primak 

 

 

On Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 09:39:22 AM EST, John Rudy via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> > wrote: 

 

 

An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it | MIT Technology Review <https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/06/1111077/nomi-ai-chatbot-told-user-to-kill-himself/?utm_source=engagement_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wklysun&utm_term=02.09.25.subs_eng&utm_content=TR10_25LIVE_ACQ&mc_cid=67021e1372&mc_eid=0e9040b93d> 

 

This is a recent ar4ticle from MIT’s Technology Review and reveals AI without adequate guardrails.  Of course they are not easy to set.  Though I haven’t personally used any of them, there are an increasing number of systems that are designed to be “companions” that you can chat with about a myriad of subjects

 

John

 

John Rudy

 

781-861-0402

781-718-8334  cell

13 Hawthorne Lane

Bedford MA

jjrudy1 at comcast.net <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> 



 

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