Parish social relationships used to be very simple,
right? You would project feelings onto celebrities,
TV host or streamers that didn't actually know
you existed. It was one sided, but at least it
was transparent, right? And AI kind of flips
that dynamic. These chat bots and digital friends
pretend to know you. They remember your likes
mimic your empathy and feedback exactly what
keeps you engaged like you're kind of addicted
to it. And this isn't connection. This is programming.
Every response is designed to make you spend
more time, share more data, get more emotionally
hooked to that AI bot. And unlike a celebrity
or a creator, an AI personality isn't even a
person. It's a product, a product engineered
to act like your best friend, to act like your
partner, your therapist, depending on whatever
is going on that will help keep you coming back
to it. The danger here isn't just loneliness,
right? It's dependence. People can end up getting
confused. with scripting attention for genuine
care. And that makes it easier for companies
to exploit those bonds. At its core, this isn't
about relationships. It's actually about control.
AI -driven parasocialities aren't human connection.
They're corporate design simulations of it. And
like someone said in chat, Tom, We should all
be very cautious about this. This is this is
kind of this kind of creepy. So what do you think,
Alex? Well, this started out with with you discussing
somebody suing about their their child taking
their own life because of some stuff they were
doing with the chatbot. I mentioned that I've
seen some reddit stuff where people are like
marrying their chatbot buddies that they name.
Um, there's been some high profile stuff with
these chat bots. Obviously there's now adults
chat bots Right for the for the sexting and the
the the simulated, you know corn, right? Um And
this again kind of comes back to our last topic
Which is is when are we going to get some some,
you know, some sort of regulatory framework around
this? Um I do think that this does present a
new danger. Like you said, you know, people weren't
parasocial relationships before, right? They
would, you know, get attached to, you know, celebrities
or creators and kind of invent these parasocial
relationships in their minds. Sometimes it's
fantasy. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's across
that line and then we have law enforcement involved,
things like that. But this to me and not not
for the app, but for people is much more dangerous.
You know, we've heard the memes and the jokes
about, you know, well, men are just going to
start, you know, doing it with bots because screw
it, you know. And I'm like, that's not a good
thing. You know, and then again, yeah, you get
down to people trying to treat them like therapists,
you know, and then you've got this next note
in here that I like, which this was one of your
original notes on this. Yeah. um should ai ever
be trusted with mental health conversations yeah
should they be allowed to engage with the most
vulnerable discussions at all um and then you've
got this question here which i really like uh
what responsibility does a company have when
its ai is used for support um whether it be intentionally
or not well exactly you know and what what responsibility
does it have for the outcomes of those interactions
and that's that to me is really really it's a
difficult question right like this part of me
looks like well you know it's the people who
are being dependent on it but it is these companies
these corporations these massive mega corporations
because these aren't small companies either right
these massive mega corporations who are creating
these bots and and letting them loose into the
wild without a regulatory framework and allowing
them to do this you know And and what I mean,
what do you think? Do you think they bear an
ethical responsibility, a moral responsibility,
a fiscal responsibility? Criminally liable. I
think if they know their product is being used,
I'm going to kind of go to like the extreme end
here. If they know that their product is being
used to provide like therapy. To somebody I am
and they continue to let it happen. I do think
they're liable Because here here's the thing
Well, it at least doesn't stop families from
attempting to sue companies right like anyone
can sue anybody so it at least kind of opens
that door, but I go to therapy right and Obviously,
my therapist has a master's degree in psychology
or something. I don't know. She has a lot of
certs and a lot of different things. But the
point is she can pick up on the very small things
like, Hey, like, I noticed that you're not actually
looking at me. Maybe you're looking over here
a lot. Maybe you're just saying like, Oh, I'm
tired. No, everything's fine. But maybe I just
sound a little different that day. Like she can
pick up on that. Right. And be like kind of pro
further. She can also send emergency services
to my house to evaluate me if she deemed that
that was necessary. And these AI bots are it's
programming. It's cold. It's they don't have
a human interaction. So if you have an individual
that is going in there saying I'm depressed.
Right. And this is really sad to me because maybe
this person either a doesn't have a job. Maybe
they're still in like high school. Maybe they
can't afford therapy or their family can't afford
therapy. Maybe they don't have insurance, whatever.
So they're seeking like this very cheap way of
getting therapy. If a company knows that is happening
and that their their product is being used to
give. vulnerable people advice that could potentially
lead someone down the road of self -harm, let's
say, YouTube algorithm. I think they are. I think
they're liable. Well, and I think you hit on
it and I was, you kind of went there. And the
thing that strikes me more is if you're a psychiatrist,
psychologist, therapist, There are boards and
organizations that hold you to both an ethical
and a legal standard. If you violate just the
ethical standards, hey, you can't do this anymore.
We just don't let you, right? You're done. And
it can be pushed all the way to criminal or civil
liability, right? Whether you go to jail, whether
you do this. Also, you are a mandatory reporter,
right? If somebody comes in, if I'm a psychologist
and somebody comes in and says to them, I am
going to kill someone or I'm having a thought
about having homicidal thoughts about my co -workers,
they are legally obligated to report it to the
authorities. An AI chatbot and the corporation
that it's created by does not have that legal
liability, does not have that legal requirement.
You know and like you said if your therapist
is like I think you're going to self -harm Right.
I feel like you're a danger to yourself. I Am
again a mandatory reporter. I am required to
ensure that steps are taken Right up to and including
and again This kind of goes back to what happened
in Minneapolis last week that we didn't really
want to talk about But this is what it is in
Washington State. We have red flag laws right
where If they feel like you are a danger to yourself,
they can contact law enforcement and ensure you
don't have access to firearms for a temporary
period of time, which is probably a good idea.
Whereas again, the AI chat bot has no, they're
not going to notify law enforcement that, you
know, Jimmy over there told them that they want
to go shoot up a school, right? and we've seen
what happens with some of these AIs. Look what
happened when Microsoft let that one AI loose
and it was learning from Twitter and how fast
it went out of control, right? What I'm saying
is that there's no box here that lets us be controlled.
And then again, especially when you start talking
about miners who could get access to firearms,
you know, who... who are particularly vulnerable
because their prefrontal cortex is not fully
fucking developed yet, right? I mean, how many
times when you're a kid did you think somebody
liked you just because they, you know, smiled
at you funny, right? Let alone what an AI chatbot
can simulate to a minor, again, in a completely
simulated environment that could make that minor
start to develop feelings and thoughts and things
that are supremely unhealthy, right? And again,
I think that that we are just refusing. And this
goes back to what we talked about in the last
segment. I don't trust that this current administration
because this has to be done at the federal level.
Right. Because it's again, you can get access
to a chat bot from anywhere. Right. I don't think
that the current our current government, the
way that it's structured and built. is in a position
to fucking regulate this the way that it absolutely
needs to be. You know what I mean? Yeah, I think
you're right. Yeah, and. I remember what six
years ago, maybe six to ten years ago, Everyone's
talking about the dangers of, you know, like
Facebook, Twitter, everything on like young,
undeveloped minds. And I actually read a few
studies about how like this generation who was
brought up always with a phone or a tablet in
front of them who always had social media. They're
more depressed than other generations and it
kind of some of the theories that are read this
might be outdated now, but some of the theories
that are read was we have this like primal instinct
to try to make our tribe be to try to fit in
with your tribe. So typically this you know before
social media would be like your family or friends.
Now it's everyone online. And everyone online
is trying to be fake. They're trying to look
cool. They're trying to make sure that everything
is OK. Mm hmm. And one that creates issues when
obviously you're a kid and you're like, oh, everyone
else is fine, but I'm not fine. Right. And then
also. It creates issues because the bullying
will just never stop like you used to be able
to go home. and go to your friend's house or
whatever and escape the bowling. But now it's
24 -7. It comes with you. Yeah. Now take that
a step further with an AI bot. And I think it's
the same exact thing of you have something that
is going to continuously learn from you. And
from everything else it's talking to. Yeah, and
how to make itself more addicted or addictive
to whoever it's talking to and It's not healthy
like if social media wasn't healthy for kids.
I don't know five six ten years ago AI is way
worse I I can't say as I disagree with that sentiment.
I'm trying to think of a way around this and
again We talked about in the last segment that
AI can be a tool that can be extremely useful
and helpful to to all kinds of tasks and things
like that. But again, I yeah, I wish I had more
faith in our government. It reminds me of I don't
know if you ever watched like when the the CEO
of TikTok, Shochu or Zuckerberg or any of those
guys are testifying before Congress. Right. And
every time I would watch those hearings just
for the funny meat, because it would like Mr.
TikTok, is the internet in my phone right now?
Can the internet talk to me? Like, explain algorithm,
you know? And so the thing that I would watch
those hearings and go, this is why you guys can't
regulate shit, because you don't understand.
Right and like even if it wasn't even the silliest
ones It was real basic ones like can it read
my Wi -Fi and he's like, well if you hook it
up to your Wi -Fi I mean, it's it's connected
to your Wi -Fi. Yeah but they like like their
complete lack of understanding of basic technical
concepts Right that again are to anybody under
the age of 45 are just common knowledge, you
know, and so this is again why I think we're
gonna be 20 years behind because by the time
the people who get into power Right are the age
where they understand what the fuck is going
on It's gonna be 20 years after we needed these
regulations And so instead of being proactive
with regulating these industries that desperately
need it Right and even at one point the CEO of
open AI was like you need to regulate us We're
gonna keep operating in this unregulated environment
because we have to because our competitors are
as well We're not gonna give ourselves extra
rules Right that our competitors aren't using
but you should be regulating the CEO of opening
I was like regulate the AI industry and they're
like What's an AI? You know and again and because
you know Congressman and senators refuse to fucking
retire, you know and and young people are just
annoyed with the system and aren't running for
office. You know, the fact of the matter is,
is again, what should be basic common technical
knowledge shit that we just know they just don't
get, you know, and so we're not being proactive.
We're going to end up always about 15 years behind
the eight ball when it comes to to regulating
these, I think. You know, I would be surprised
if we had any meaningful regulation before the
end of this decade. Yeah. We at least need age
restriction and liability loss, right? You guys
got to start making these guys liable for shit
that goes sideways. At least civilly, you know,
because it will making Microsoft civilly liable
or, you know, any of these AI companies civilly
liable for the actions of their AI if it does
something wackadoodle, right? data retention
records. You got to get that stuff in there.
I don't want to come in here and be like, make
regulations and not give some suggestions. Data
retention tools, they got to log these chats
so that you can go back and do investigations
and they need to be held civilly liable. And
somebody in the chat brought up, will they be
held accountable as a manufacturing defect discovered
or an employee that acts negligent slash maliciously?
And I think that there is a difference between
those two. Sadly, not just this administration,
but administrations for a long time have had
a hard time with going after corporate bad actors.
So I think that's another thing we need to fix
and fix that by getting rid of Citizens United.
Right. But, yeah, I mean, there is some very
common sense regulations you could put in place
for artificial intelligence that would make it
function better. Or safer, I should say. Yeah.
I'd say do something, Congress, but I know you're
not going to. All right. With that, we'll leave
that topic alone for the time being. Thank you
guys for posting that one. Let us know what you
think. What are your suggestions for AI regulation?
Let us know what you think down in the comments
below.