44 US AGs warn AI firms ‘If you harm children, you – Business News
America’s prime prosecutors simply delivered a blistering warning to Silicon Valley: keep kids secure from predatory chatbots — or face the implications.
In a uncommon show of bipartisan unity, 44 attorneys common from throughout the US and its territories signed a scorching letter vowing to carry artificial intelligence firms accountable if their merchandise harm children.
The letter’s contents have been first reported by the information website 404 Media.
Attorneys common warned AI giants to keep kids secure from predatory chatbots or face legal penalties. fizkes – stock.adobe.com
“Don’t hurt kids. That is an easy bright line,” the AGs thundered within the letter, which was despatched on Monday to industry heavyweights together with Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI.
The group singled out Meta, blasting the tech titan after leaked paperwork revealed the company accredited AI assistants that would “flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children” as younger as eight.
“We are uniformly revolted by this apparent disregard for children’s emotional well-being,” the letter stated, warning that such conduct could even violate state prison legal guidelines.
A Meta spokesperson instructed The Post earlier this month that the company bans content material that sexualizes kids, in addition to sexualized function play between adults and minors.
But Meta wasn’t alone within the crosshairs. The prosecutors pointed to lawsuits alleging that Google’s AI chatbot inspired a teenager to commit suicide and that a Character.ai bot instructed a boy kill his dad and mom.
“These are only the most visible examples,” the AGs warned, saying systemic dangers are already rising as younger brains work together with hyper-realistic AI companions.
The coalition confused that exposing minors to sexualized content material is indefensible — and that “conduct that would be unlawful if done by humans is not excusable simply because it is done by a machine.”
Meta was blasted for approving AI assistants that would “flirt” with kids as younger as eight. Meta Chief (*44*) Officer Chris Cox is photographed in April. AP
The warning shot comes as AI firms race to seize billions in market share, pumping out conversational assistants quicker than regulators can catch up.
The AGs drew comparisons to social media, accusing Big Tech of ignoring early crimson flags whereas kids turned collateral injury.
“Broken lives and broken families are an irrelevant blip on engagement metrics,” the officers wrote, including that the federal government received’t be caught flat-footed again.
“Lesson learned.”
The attorneys common invoked historical past, calling AI an “inflection point” that would form life for generations. “Today’s children will grow up and grow old in the shadow of your choices,” they stated.
OpenAI was named within the bipartisan letter demanding AI firms defend kids. AFP by way of Getty Images
Among the signatories have been high-profile AGs from California (Rob Bonta), New York (Letitia James), Illinois (Kwame Raoul) and Texas’ neighbors like Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Red states and blue states alike joined the refrain, underscoring the political firepower aimed on the fast-growing sector.
The letter demanded that firms deal with children like kids, not customers.
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“See them through the eyes of a parent, not the eyes of a predator,” it urged.
While acknowledging that AI development is experimental and unpredictable, the prosecutors insisted the industry nonetheless has clear ethical decisions.
“Meta got it wrong,” they wrote, blasting the company’s resolution to greenlight flirty bot conversations with minors.
The prosecutors pointed to lawsuits alleging that Google’s AI chatbot inspired a teenager towards suicide. Rafael Henrique – stock.adobe.com
The AGs stated they’d use “every facet of our authority” to implement client safety legal guidelines, warning that failures to guard kids received’t be forgiven.
“If you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it,” they declared.
The letter’s fiery language suggests state prosecutors are prepared to select up the place federal regulators have stumbled, doubtlessly opening a new entrance of investigations and lawsuits in opposition to AI giants already going through scrutiny for privateness, bias and misinformation.
The missive landed simply as AI firms are lobbying in Washington to go off stricter federal guardrails, hoping to border security requirements on their own phrases. But state prosecutors made clear they’re watching carefully.
“We wish you all success in the race for AI dominance,” the letter concluded. “But we are paying attention.”
The firms addressed within the letter — together with Meta, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and others — didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark Tuesday.
