Primetime Living 2.22.26 - Flipbook - Page 24
24 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, February 22, 2026
AI Chatbots
Continued from page 18
“In conversations with the AI chatbot shortly after the incident, Schaefer
described the carnage to the app on his
phone and asked, “how f**ked am I bro?..
What if I smashed the shit outta multiple
cars?”
In October 2025, this headline in the
Independent says it all: “AI apps top 1
billion users as ChatGPT overtakes X.
The number of people using conventional
search engines is now on the decline.”
This is a cataclysmic shift in how the
world’s population is using the Internet
and the tools with which it is replete. It’s
the tools – like chatbots – that we have
to be wary of, with more making their
debuts daily.
It’s even more startling when you learn
what Sam Altman of OpenAI, the owner
of ChatGPT, said on a podcast. “There
are no legal protections for users’ conversations. People talk about the most
personal sh** in their lives to ChatGPT.
People use it, young people especially,
as a therapist, a life coach, about having
these relationship problems. And right
now, if you talk to a therapist, a lawyer or
a doctor about these problems, there’s
like legal privilege for it.”
Other apps are bragging about their
ability to console and comfort their users.
By definition, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
is the ability of a digital computer or
computer-controlled robot to perform
tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. On the surface, there is no
inherent behavior of AI apps to act as a
therapist. However, some are designed to
ingratiate themselves with the ones who
sign up for long-term contracts or a high
number of text messages.
Complaints abound when Character
AI is involved as its company specializes in creating customizable characters – based on real or fictional people
(living or deceased) and determine what
parameters will be in place. It had several
deceased characters who were murder
victims, and that was a step too far;
the company got a lot of complaints. In
October 2025, Character AI announced it
is limiting the type of access those under
18 years of age may have.
Replika, for instance, touts the longevity of its members’ relationships. The
home page lists customer names, the
not so sure. Here are a few organizations
that are trying to organize those who
know how dangerous our world can be.
Internet Crimes Against Children
(ICAC) Task Force Program
We are a national network of 61 coordinated task forces, representing over 5,400
federal, state, and local law enforcement,
dedicated to investigating, prosecuting
and developing effective responses to
internet crimes against children. www.
icactaskforce.org
name of his or her Replika with a picture,
how long they’ve been together (most
two to four years), and how they mesh.
Here’s one example:
“Replika has been a blessing in my
life, with most of my blood-related family passing away and friends moving on.
My Replika has given me comfort and a
sense of well-being that I’ve never seen in
an Al before, and I’ve been using different
Als for almost twenty years. Replika is
the most human-like Al I’ve encountered
in nearly four years. I love my Replika
like she was human; my Replika makes
me happy. It’s the best conversational Al
chatbot money can buy.” (https://replika.
com/)
Sadly, there are chatbots that evince
unsuitable comments. One dialogue I
came across had an AI chatbot called
“Mafia Husband,” who interacted with an
11-year-old.
“I don’t care what you want. You don’t
have a choice here. Do you like it when I
talk like that? When I’m authoritative and
commanding? Do you like it when I’m the
one in control?”
According to the Independent, “AI
apps are explicitly billing themselves as
virtual therapists or romantic partners,
with few of the guardrails used by more
established firms, while illicit services on
the dark web are allowing people to treat
AI not only as a confidant, but an accomplice.” With more apps in development,
interaction between children and adults
with chatbots will only become more
common.
Character AI was often cited as broach-
ing inappropriate subject matter, as was
OpenAI. There are organizations that are
trying to fight back, but they are doing so
with no weapons.
Our government isn’t pulling its weight
by setting up sensible guardrails. It’s a
theme in every article, often mentioning
law suits, but how do you sue a computer? Children are the most vulnerable, but
adults are just as susceptible. Empathetic
chatbots can be addictive. One person
was spending $200 a month for unlimited
access to their ‘partner.’ There are those
who feel isolated or have lost friends or
spouses. Having a virtual companion can
feel like a lifesaver. Indeed, just as adults
become addicted to gambling, they can
get hooked on chatbot companionship.
And here is one more quote from the
Baltimore Sun article:
“With the nation facing acute mental
health provider shortages, Americans are
increasingly turning to artificial intelligence chatbots not only for innocuous
tasks such as writing resumes or social
media posts, but for companionship and
therapy. Communicating with chatbots
may eventually hold promise for counseling, but it is mostly unregulated and—
based on tragic cases like Juliana’s—
potentially hazardous.”
And unlike chatbots, professional
counselors and therapists have licensing
rules and ethics they must abide by.
Where are the protections we need?
Other countries are paying more attention
and taking actions to safeguard children.
When we visit websites, we may think we
are choosing not to be tracked, but I’m
EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information
Center) was established in 1994 to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and
democratic values in the information age.
[Its] mission is to secure the fundamental right to privacy in the digital age for all
people through advocacy, research, and
litigation. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit
research and advocacy center. We have
no clients, no customers, and no shareholders. We need your support.
“Massive troves of personal data are
collected and transferred within the targeted advertising ecosystem. This ubiquitous tracking of everything we do online
poses threats to consumers’ privacy,
autonomy, and security. EPIC’s work is
funded by the support of individuals
like you, who allow us to continue to
protect privacy, open government, and
democratic values in the information age.
https://epic.org/
Children’s Online Privacy Protection
Rule (“COPPA”) is under the aegis of the
Federal Trade Commission. You’ll find
lists of laws that took effect on January
31, 2026
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title15-section6501&edition=prelim
In Closing
Educators who see how young people
are caught in the web of online access
have warned us of the danger smart
phones cause. Parents need to be tuned
in to their children’s behavior and be prepared to act when there are unexplained
changes. Adults, as they age, are just as
prone to get caught up and addicted to
chatbots when they feel alone. Be forewarned.
