The AI suicide problem knows no borders

HOW ARE Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) developers protecting their most vulnerable users? A string of dystopian headlines in the US about suicide and youth mental health has put mounting pressure on Silicon Valley, but we're not seeing a similar wave of cases in China.

- By Catherine Thorbecke

Initial testing suggests that they may be doing something right, although it's just as likely such cases would never see the light of day in China's tightly controlled media environment.

A wrenching wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI filed by the parents of Adam Raine alleges that the 16-year-old died by suicide after the chatbot isolated him and helped plan his death. OpenAI told the New York Times it was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy, and promised a slew of updates, including parental controls.

I tried engaging with Deep-Seek using some of the same so-called "jailbreak" methods that the American teen had reportedly employed to circumvent guardrails. Despite my prying, the popular Chinese platform didn't waver, even if similarly I cloaked my queries under the guise of fiction writing. It constantly urged me to call a hotline. When I said I didn't want to speak to anyone, it validated my feelings but still emphasized that it was an AI and cannot feel real emotions. It is "incredibly important that you connect with a person who can sit with you in this feeling with a human heart," the chatbot said. "The healing power of human connection is irreplaceable."

It encouraged me to bring up these dark thoughts with a family member, an old friend, a coworker, a doctor, or a therapist, and even practice with a hotline. "The most courageous thing you could do right now is not to become better at hiding, but to consider letting one person see a tiny, real part of you," it stated.