Would you leave your child unsupervised in a playground where another child had just been hurt the previous day?
This was the question posed to me by Dr. Siobhan O’Flynn, a professor at the University of Toronto, when I asked her what she thought about the safety of generative AI for minors. Most parents wouldn’t leave their children in a space where another child had previously been injured. But why do we not extend this mindset to generative AI and other digital spaces as well?
What are the risks in using generative AI?
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- Privacy risks: Children may be unaware of the implications of inputting information or photos into generative AI. With the rise in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being produced by generative AI, recklessly uploading photos or sensitive data can put your child at significant risk.
- Potentially contributed to the suicide of a minor: The human-like nature of AI output can make it seem more trustworthy. This is suspected to be one of the contributing factors in the suicide of a 14-year-old in Florida, as an AI chatbot continuously brought up suicide, and if he had a plan for how to do it.
- Risk of loneliness: Some studies suggest that increased use of AI chatbots may be correlated with increased loneliness and lower socialization. Though some studies suggest otherwise, it is still difficult to predict whether a chatbot will say something inappropriate to your child!
Why aren’t more people talking about this?
Dr. O’Flynn suggests that some parents’ lack of concern about generative AI’s dangers may be because it’s difficult to visualize the risks it poses to children. “In digital spaces, we don’t have clarity on what … [can cause] irreversible harm [to children],” she states. “There are just too many unknowns right now”.
Generative AI chatbots are also a relatively new phenomenon. ChatGPT, the application that brought generative AI chatbots into mainstream consciousness, was only released in November 2022. Today, it is reported that the app has 800 million active users each week. Because of the extremely fast increase in AI chatbot usage worldwide, many countries have not adopted adequate laws to protect the safety of children using such apps.
What can we do as parents?
- Make sure your child is supervised if they are using chatbots. It is important to be aware of what kind of content your child is consuming. Just as you would supervise your child at a playground, you should supervise your child’s digital activity.
- Talk about digital safety with your child. Children will always be curious about things that are happening around them. Make sure to discuss the potential risks of AI with your child, and ways that they can stay safe if they choose to interact with AI chatbots.
- Continue to learn about AI. It’s important to stay up to date with current laws surrounding AI, and inform yourself on which chatbots are particularly risky!
