Here I argue that the original sin of generative AI and its chatbots is using the first person, and that this is most harmful to young developing minds. It’s key to my argument in Artificial Intimacy.
“Given that these products are designed to deceive users into believing that they are talking to a wise and compassionate being, the job before lawmakers is to make it plain—especially to juveniles—that there is, in fact, nobody home.” -Sherry Turkle
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
If I had to bet on AI's net effect on humankind, I would unreservedly bet the house that it will be profoundly negative. Except for some billionaires in their bunkers. Heaven help them when they decide to crawl out.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
This is one of those "how on god's green earth did I miss that?!" observations. AI chatbot speaking in the first-person distorts everything. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The social-media industry is having a moment of reckoning:
By agreeing to pay up to $17.1 billion and consenting to make changes to how young people use Facebook and Instagram, Meta has implicitly admitted responsibility in creating a product that harms children
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Sherry Turkle has been writing about human-technology relationships since the 80s and I'm always interested in her perspective www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Chatbots Should Not Use the First Person www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... #tech #AI #RegulateAI #chatbots #Meta #OpenAI #HarmingChildren #mentalhealth #SocialMedia #BanAI #RegulateTech
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