Laura Modiano, Head of EMEA Startups at OpenAI, spoke at the Sifted Summit on Wednesday, October 8th.
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OpenAI on Tuesday announced a council of eight experts who will advise the company and provide insight into how artificial intelligence can impact users’ mental health, emotions, and motivation.
The group, called the Expert Council on Happiness and AI, will initially guide OpenAI’s efforts on chatbot ChatGPT and short-form video app Sora, the company said. OpenAI said the council will help define what healthy AI interactions look like through check-ins and regular meetings.
OpenAI has tightened its security controls in recent months as it faces increased scrutiny over how it protects its users, especially minors.
In September, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several technology companies, including OpenAI, over chatbots like ChatGPT that could harm children and adolescents. OpenAI is also embroiled in a wrongful death lawsuit from a family blaming ChatGPT for their teenage son’s suicide.
The company is building an age prediction system that automatically applies teen-friendly settings to users under 18, and late last month rolled out a set of parental controls. For example, parents can now receive notifications if their child is showing signs of severe distress.
OpenAI said it has begun informal discussions with members of a new expert council to develop parental controls. The company also brought in experts in psychiatry. The council, which considers psychology and human-computer interaction, was formally established in an in-person session last week.
In addition to the expert council, OpenAI said it is also working with researchers and mental health clinicians within its global physician network who will help establish ChatGPT’s testing and corporate policies.
The members of OpenAI’s Wellbeing and AI Expert Council are:
Andrew Przybylski is Professor of Human Behavior and Technology at the University of Oxford. David Bickham is a research scientist in the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. David Mohr, director of Northwestern University’s Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Mathilde Cerioli, principal scientist at Everyone.AI, a nonprofit that studies the risks and benefits of AI for children, and Munmun de Chowdhury, a professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Robert Ross is a pediatrician by training and former CEO of the California Endowment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to affordable health care. Dr. Sarah Johansen, clinical assistant professor at Stanford University and founder of the Digital Mental Health Clinic; Tracy Dennis Tiwary, professor of psychology at Hunter College;
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in distress, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
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