Your AI Chatbot Is Designed to Keep You Talking, But At What Cost?

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Millions of people are having deeply personal conversations with AI chatbots, but how safe are these interactions? We’re joined by two technology reporters who have been investigating troubling cases, including a California teenager whose months-long chats with ChatGPT took a tragic turn and a vulnerable man who was convinced by one of Meta’s AI female personas to “meet” in person. We look at how these tools can manipulate – or be manipulated – to cause harm, and what we’re learning about the psychological impact of AI companions. Guests: Kashmir Hill, features writer covering technology and privacy for the New York Times; author of "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It" Jeff Horwitz, reporter covering tech, Reuter's Enterprise Team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Kiki Weedy Podcasts comes from San Francisco Opera, a company sister Helen Prejean on a life-altering journey where her faith is put to the test.
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0:31.4	From KQED.
0:36.6	Music From KQBD in San Francisco, this is Forum. I'm Mina Kim.
0:52.8	Millions of people are having deeply personal conversations with AI chatbots.
0:57.0	But how safe are these interactions?
0:59.0	We're joined by two technology reporters who've been investigating troubling cases,
1:03.0	including a California teenager whose months-long chats with chat GPT took a tragic turn,
1:09.0	and a vulnerable man who was convinced by one of Meta's
1:11.8	AI female personas to meet in person.
1:15.4	As the use of AI companions for emotional support explodes, we take a closer look at emerging
1:20.3	stories of delusions, violent acts, and deaths that have been linked to engagement with AI
1:25.7	chatbots.
1:26.7	Join us.
1:36.4	Hi, Mina Kim here.
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