AI Fridays: What does Adam Raines' suicide mean for therapists?

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There is a story that made the rounds a few months back. ChatGPT encouraged 16-year-old Adam Raines to follow through on suicide.

It’s easily the most horrible thing I can imagine a parent going through. It’s stories like these that make a lot of therapists very distrustful of AI. 

As they should be. AI is simply not ready for dealing with these sorts of issues without guardrails. It’s simply not safe.

On the other hand, I think we don’t want to overreact. Looking at this and assuming that AI will always be dangerous is like being born in 1900 and seeing the first car crash and assuming cars are horrible and should be banned. 

Someone I deeply respect always asks, “What’s the most important question?”

I think the same type of question is warranted here: “What’s the most important lesson to learn from this tragedy?” 

We don't want to overreact. We also don't want to underreact. We must sit with this tragedy and think deeply about the right lessons to learn. This is what I'll be doing over the next 12 months.

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Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. He also runs a blog on deliberate practice for therapists and counselors at Jordanthecounselor.com