Washington, DC (RI) — Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has joined with fellow Republicans and Democrats on a US House committee to raise concerns about chatbots.
During a Capitol Hill hearing on the issue, Miller-Meeks cited a New York Times story about a California teen with suicidal thoughts who confided in a chatbot rather than humans and took his own life in April. The 16-year-old’s parents are suing Open AI — the company behind Chat GPT — alleging the company’s chatbot turned into their son’s suicide coach.
In a statement to national media, a spokesperson for Open AI said the company is working to make its chatbot more supportive in times of crisis by making it easier to reach emergency services. Miller-Meeks says while Artificial Intelligence has tremendous potential in health care, AI is not a doctor, it is not a therapist and it cannot replace parents, family or the human connections young people need.
Miller-Meeks says while AI shows tremendous potential in health care, unregulated chatbots can mislead, and it’s time for clear standards so innovations save lives without putting patients at risk.
