Former Google Safety Chief Warns AI Is Harming Children More Than Social Media

Former Google safety chief Tom Siegel is sounding the alarm about the dangers of AI to children, saying it's causing even more harm than social media did. He warns that companies are rolling out features without establishing sufficient guardrails and risks range from suicide to psychosis.

Siegel has joined Common Sense Media, a children's online advocacy group, where he will serve as the executive director of their Youth AI Safety Institute. The institute aims to develop standards for holding AI firms accountable, and Siegel hopes to do so by working alongside those companies and third-party groups.

He previously worked at Google from 2004 to 2019, but left after concluding that the tech industry was 'plateauing' in its ability to create safe online spaces for consumers. He then co-founded TrustLab, a startup that built tools to help companies detect safety threats, before stepping aside as CEO earlier this month.

Siegel suggests that AI companies could take immediate steps to better protect young people, such as enforcing more robust age verification measures and implementing options to turn off AI features in search engines. However, he notes that these measures may affect usage or profits in the short term, but AI companies that do not act will run the risk of lawsuits and regulation that could impact their business more heavily.