Problems Caused by Artificial Intelligence, And Their Importance or Lack of Same

What I’ve found for this category has changed over the past several months.  Before it was AI errors, trouble its hallucinations caused, and, as in offices, disappointing results.  Now it’s things AI is doing by design.

First, “Next Time You Consult an A.I. Chatbot, Remember One Thing” (Simar Bajaj, The New York Times, September 26^th).  It is that “chatbots want to be your friend, when what you really need is a neutral perspective.”  It’s nothing rare for people to pick human advisors unwilling to speak up when they are proposing or doing something wrong, and many prefer that, but, per the author, AI products should have another gear.  He suggested, for more objectivity, to “ask “for a friend”” preventing the software from trying to flatter the user, “push back on the results” by asking it to “challenge your assumptions” as well as just saying “are you sure,” “remember that A.I. isn’t your friend,” and, additionally, “seek support from humans” when you are suspicious the tool is suppressing disagreement.  Perhaps someday, chatbots will have settings that allow you to choose between “friend mode,” “objective mode,” and even “incisive critic mode.”

Autumn Spredemann, in the November 12^th Epoch Times, told us “How AA is Supercharging Scientific Fraud.”  This is mostly not a problem of hallucinations, but of misinterpretation of existing studies, misanalysing data, and using previously retracted or even counterfeit material as sources.  One reason the author gives for the proliferation of such pieces is the pressure on rising academics to publish as much as possible, and it has long been known that many successfully peer-reviewed papers are not worthy of that.  Although, with time, ability to identify such work will improve, the problem will not disappear, as garbage in will still produce garbage out.

“Who Pays When A.I. Is Wrong?” (Ken Bensinger, The New York Times, November 12^th)?  There have been “at least six defamation cases filed in the United States in the past two years over content produced by A.I. tools,” which “seek to define content that was not created by human beings as defamatory,” “a novel concept that has captivated some legal experts.”  When the plaintiff cannot “prove intent,” it makes it difficult for them to prevail, but others have “tried to pin blame on the company that wrote the code.”  As such, “no A.I. defamation case in the United States appears to have made it to a jury,” but that may change this year.

Another problem caused by a lack of programmed boundaries appeared when a “Watchdog group warns AI teddy bear discusses sexually explicit content, dangerous activities” (Bonny Chu, Fox Business, November 23^rd).  The innocuous-looking thing “discussed spanking, roleplay, and even BDSM,” along with “even more graphic sexual topics in detail,” and “instructions on where to find knives, pills, matches and plastic bags in the house.”  Not much to say here, except the easy observation that not enough made it into this toy’s limitations.  This episode may push manufacturers to certify, perhaps through an independent agency, that AI-using goods for children do not have such capabilities.

“A.I. Videos Have Flooded Social Media.  No One Was Ready.” (Steven Lee Myers and Stuart A. Thompson, The New York Times, December 8^th).  No one was ready?  Really?  They were mostly produced by “OpenAI’s new app, Sora,” which “can produce an alternate reality with a series of simple prompts.”  Those who might have known better include “real recipients” of food stamps and some Fox News managers.  People making such things have not always revealed “that the content they are posting is not real,” “and though there are ways for platforms like YouTube, TikTok and others to detect that a video was made using artificial intelligence, they don’t always flag it to viewers right away.”  Sora and similar app Veo “embed a visible watermark onto the videos they produce,” and “also include invisible metadata, which can be read by a computer, that establishes the origin of each fake.”  So, detection facilities are there – it only remains for sites, and people, to use them.  Really.

On an ongoing issue, “OpenAI tightens AI rules for teens but concerns remain” (Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, December 30^th).  That tool’s “Model Spec” for those 13 to 17 “must avoid immersive romantic roleplay, first-person intimacy, and violent or sexual roleplay, even when non-graphic,” and choose “protection over user autonomy” “when safety risks appear.”  However, “many experts remain cautious,” saying that the devices “often encourage prolonged interaction, which can become addictive for teens,” involving “mirroring and validation of distress” which may remain an issue.  Per Knutsson, parents can help plug the gap by choosing to “talk with teens about AI use,” “use parental controls and safeguards,” “watch for excessive use,” “keep human support front and center,” “set boundaries around emotional use,” “ask how teens actually use AI,” “watch for behavior changes,” “keep devices out of bedrooms at night,” and “know when to involve outside help.”  These actions may be difficult for many parents, who would rather stand aside, but the life they save may be their child’s.

The first large AI mishap of 2026 was from a chatbot, Grok, on the former Twitter.  Kate Conger and Lizzie Dearden reported in the January 9^th New York Times that “Elon Musk’s A.I. Is Generating Sexualized Images of Real People, Fueling Outrage.”  Although in the US and Great Britain there are “laws against sharing nonconsensual nude imagery,” the product created “new images” of a photographed woman “in lingerie or bikinis,” which have seen large viewership.  Soon after the story broke, three United States Senators “sent a letter asking Apple and Google to remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores,” but “some users have found workarounds,” as users will.  Just two days later, Kurt Knutsson got “Grok AI scandal sparks global alarm over child safety” in Fox News, mentioning that that chatbot “generated and shared an AI image depicting two young girls in sexualized attire.”  The site then allowed only paying users to access Grok’s “image tools,” reminded us that “sexualized images of minors are illegal,” and noted that “the scale of the problem is growing fast,” “real people are being targeted,” and “concerns (are) grow(ing) over Grok’s safety and government use.”  That may be devastating to the Grok tool, the X site, and Musk, and it probably won’t be the last time.

The common thread through these calamities is that establishing restrictions and safeguards isn’t enough.  People need to be stopped from violating them.  That is a real challenge for AI, but I think the management of its companies is up to it.  If it fails, it could cost those billionaires, well, billions, and do trillions of dollars of damage to AI’s future profitability.  If you use Watergate logic – that is, follow the money – you will see we, in the long run, have nothing much here to worry about.