Professor Evan Selinger makes a compelling case that AI chatbots can’t replace real friends and have caused serious harm to some people (“A chatbot can never truly be your friend,” Ideas, July 6). However, he doesn’t address the solution. These chatbots are largely unregulated, and we must urgently address that. Chatbots are helpful to many people. So are marijuana, opiates, cigarettes, and Keno tickets — all beneficial according to some users. That doesn’t mean we allow their producers to market to children or target vulnerable people 24/7.
Regulating fast-moving products can be challenging, but we can adapt existing frameworks that protect consumers from harmful goods. Basic safeguards could include age verification, protections against exploitive design, and prohibitions on the disclosure or sale of personal data to third parties.
We tried letting technology companies do whatever they want and saw what happened. It’s time to protect their users instead, and time is of the essence.
Shaleen Title
Malden