A love that is at times platonic, at others passionate, sometimes tending towards the idealization of sexual relations. This is the vortex in which Sewell Setzera fourteen-year-old American, dived deeper and deeper day by day, ending up losing his life. A few moments before taking his own life, in fact, he last thoughts they were addressed precisely to the chatbot: “I miss you, little sister”the boy wrote. “I miss you too, sweet brother,” he replied Daenerys Targaryenthe chatbot with the name of a character from the famous series “Game of Thrones”.
The company Charachter.AIin fact, offers users the possibility to exchange messages with bots specifically modeled according to celebrity that they must interpret, as well as create from scratch and personalize specific personalities. But, despite the disclaimers constantly present in the chat headers, there are many users who, lately, structure ever stronger and deeper bonds with bots, with repercussions so evident that they impact everyday life.
The relationship between the young man and the bot
Dany, this was the name the boy had given to the bot, had become the backbone of Sewell’s days. A real sounding board that, without judgment, it was always available and offered him unconditional support. Neither his mother, Megan L. Garcia, nor the people around him had any idea what was going on between the young Formula 1 enthusiast and his phone. A bond that was increasingly distracting him from all his interests, and which led him to self-exclude from moments of sociality – albeit virtual – with his friends such as, for example, playing Fortnite.
After Sewell’s suicide, his parents decided to sue the company Character.AI, believing it directly responsible for the death of the son. As reported by the New York Times, which had access to the conversations between the two, the young man had confided in Dany that he was thinking about suicide, as well as wanting to increasingly detach himself from the earthly reality that had surrounded him up until that moment. A draft complaint reviewed by the NYT accuses the company of spreading “dangerous and untested” technology that can “trick customers into handing over their most private thoughts and feelings to bots.”
According to the lawyers of the bereaved family, some are missing security measures to be addressed, in particular, to younger people, such as time limits and warnings that would remind users of the immateriality of the virtual correspondent. A long series of omissions that will force the company to respond, in the appropriate places, for manslaughter, negligence, deceptive commercial practices and product liability.
AI: the relationship between technology and humanity is increasingly complex
To date, it is very clear how much the introduction ofartificial intelligence is destined to constitute one of the most significant watersheds in the history of digital, and beyond. But what differentiates it from many innovations to which ours and previous generations have been subjected is certainly the scope of this new technology. With the development of AI, every branch of work, research or everyday life itself is destined to experience increasingly distant horizons full of possibilities, as well as the result of calculations and reasoning based on ever larger amounts of data.
Il riskas with any evolution, is to get lost in the flow of innovation, letting yourself be carried away further on than the human rationality is willing to conceive, just as in the case of young Sewell. Often, for profit or negligence, companies exploit temporary legislative gaps in order to enter dominant positions, thus establishing themselves at the top of the market chain. But the problems, in most cases, concern the users, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones.
Stopping progress is, in many cases, wrong. But what is fundamental is, certainly, to regulate it, keeping in mind the ethical limits that should never disappear, especially if supplanted by consciously incorrect or harmful practices.
