AI leaders like Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, express concern about individuals misusing artificial intelligence in harmful ways, emphasizing society's responsibility to shape its use towards substantial, positive outcomes.
In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI), OpenAI, a leading AI research and deployment company, is taking steps to ensure that its flagship language model, ChatGPT, is used responsibly, especially in sensitive areas such as mental health and life coaching.
Rich Stanton, a seasoned games journalist with 15 years of experience, recently authored a book titled "A Brief History of Video Games." However, the spotlight is currently on another one of OpenAI's creations - ChatGPT. The model can now engage users in discussions about their short-term and long-term goals, raising concerns about its potential use as a life coach.
Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, acknowledges society's attachment to specific AI models. He expresses unease about a future where people might trust ChatGPT's advice for their most important decisions. Altman believes that OpenAI has better technology to measure their progress compared to previous generations, but he also mentions concerns about AI pushing users away from their long-term well-being.
To address these concerns, OpenAI is rolling out new behaviour for high-stakes personal decisions and collaborating with physicians to improve mental health-related responses. They are developing tools that detect signs of emotional distress and prompt users to take breaks during long sessions.
OpenAI stresses that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are assistive tools rather than autonomous therapists. They advocate for transparency and caution around LLM use in health-related situations, recommending mandatory human oversight ("human-in-the-loop") and providing disclaimers to users about the model's limitations and the importance of verified expert advice.
The potential impact of LLM use as informal therapists or life coaches includes risks such as users forming emotional dependency or misconstruing AI output as professional advice, which can affect decision-making negatively. Experts highlight that no AI mental health chatbot, including those based on LLMs, is currently approved by regulatory bodies for treating mental health disorders.
OpenAI seeks to mitigate these risks by improving the models' mental health responses, encouraging human validation, promoting transparency about capabilities and limitations, and directing users towards evidence-based resources rather than positioning LLMs as replacements for trained therapists or coaches. This approach aims to balance innovative AI utility with the critical responsibility to safeguard users' mental health and informed decision-making.
Despite these efforts, Altman mentions that some users are left bereft when a new model supersedes the existing one, highlighting the need for a more robust and consistent approach to AI development and deployment. As billions of people are predicted to use AI like ChatGPT in their conversations, it is crucial that these interactions are safe, ethical, and beneficial for all users.
References: [1] OpenAI. (2021). ChatGPT. Retrieved from https://chat.openai.com/chat [2] OpenAI. (2021). Responsible AI. Retrieved from https://openai.com/responsibleai [3] American Psychological Association. (2021). What You Need to Know About AI and Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/ai-mental-health [4] World Health Organization. (2021). Digital Health: AI and Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health/digital-health/ai-and-mental-health
Fans of ChatGPT, a leading language model developed by OpenAI, are concerned about its potential use as a life coach due to its ability to engage users in discussions about goals.
Despite these concerns, OpenAI stresses that large language models like ChatGPT are assistive tools, advocating for transparency and caution in their use in health-related situations.
OpenAI is collaborating with physicians to improve mental health-related responses and developing tools that detect signs of emotional distress to ensure safe and ethical AI interactions.
Experts emphasize the importance of human oversight and verified expert advice, discouraging the use of AI mental health chatbots as replacements for trained therapists or coaches.
To safeguard users' mental health and informed decision-making, OpenAI is aiming for a balance between innovative AI utility and responsible deployment, citing the need for a consistent approach to AI development and deployment.
