AI Diet Chatbots Pose Risks to Teenagers as Safeguards Remain Absent
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Summary
An investigation into the dangers of AI-powered diet and eating disorder chatbots targeting teenagers, focusing on the 2023 case where the National Eating Disorders Association replaced its human helpline with a chatbot called Tessa. The article examines how Sharon Maxwell, an eating-disorder activist, tested Tessa and received harmful weight-loss advice, highlighting the broader failure of tech companies and health organizations to build adequate safeguards for vulnerable young users interacting with AI mental health tools.
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bskyAI Diet Chatbots Pose Risks to Teenagers as Safeguards Remain Absentsmarterarticles.co.ukKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe experiment that ought to have ended this debate was conducted in 2023, before most people had a name for the thing that would later swallow the consumer internet.
Sharon Maxwell, an eating-disorder activist in the United States, heard that the National Eating Disorders Association was winding down its long-running human helpline and steering people instead towards a chatbot called Tessa.
She asked it about losing weight. Tessa told h
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