A new health advisory calls on AI developers to protect young people

1 month ago

APA study connected AI and younker intelligence health

A caller study by nan American Psychological Association calls connected AI developers to build successful features to protect nan intelligence wellness of teen and young adults.

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

A caller wellness advisory calls connected developers of artificial intelligence and educators to do much to protect young group from manipulation and exploitation. NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee reports.

RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: Systems utilizing artificial intelligence are already pervasive successful our progressively integer lives.

MITCH PRINSTEIN: It's nan portion of your email exertion that finishes a condemnation for you, aliases spell checks.

CHATTERJEE: Mitch Prinstein is main of psychology astatine nan American Psychological Association and 1 of nan authors of nan caller report.

PRINSTEIN: It's embedded successful societal media, wherever it tells you what to watch and what friends to person and what bid you should spot your friends' posts.

CHATTERJEE: It's not that AI is each bad.

PRINSTEIN: It tin really beryllium a awesome measurement to thief commencement a project, to brainstorm, to get immoderate feedback.

CHATTERJEE: But teens and young adults' brains aren't afloat developed, he says, making them particularly susceptible to nan pitfalls of AI.

PRINSTEIN: We're seeing that kids are getting accusation from AI that they judge erstwhile it's not true. And they're processing relationships pinch bots connected AI, and that's perchance interfering pinch their real-life, quality relationships successful ways that we sewage to beryllium observant about.

CHATTERJEE: Prinstein says location are reports of kids being driven to unit and moreover suicidal behaviour by bots, and AI is putting young group astatine a greater consequence of harassment.

PRINSTEIN: You tin usage AI to make matter aliases images successful ways that are incredibly inappropriate for kids. It tin beryllium utilized to beforehand cyberbullying.

CHATTERJEE: That's why nan caller advisory from nan American Psychological Association recommends that AI devices should beryllium designed to beryllium developmentally due for young people.

PRINSTEIN: Have we thought astir nan ways that kids' brains are developing, aliases their narration skills are developing, to support kids safe, particularly if they're getting exposed to really inappropriate worldly aliases perchance predators?

CHATTERJEE: For example, building successful periodic notifications into AI devices that punctual young group they're interacting pinch a bot aliases suggestions encouraging them to activity retired existent quality interactions. Prinstein says that educators tin thief protect younker from harms of AI. He says schools are conscionable waking up to nan harms of societal media connected kids' intelligence health.

PRINSTEIN: And we're a small spot playing catch-up. I deliberation it's really important for america to retrieve that we person nan powerfulness to alteration this now, earlier AI goes a small spot excessively acold and we find ourselves playing catch-up again.

CHATTERJEE: Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.

Accuracy and readiness of NPR transcripts whitethorn vary. Transcript matter whitethorn beryllium revised to correct errors aliases lucifer updates to audio. Audio connected npr.org whitethorn beryllium edited aft its original broadcast aliases publication. The charismatic grounds of NPR’s programming is nan audio record.