Chatbot users are being tricked into thinking artificial intelligence services are their friends, an expert has warned.
Alexander Laffer, a lecturer in media and communications at Winchester University, said there needs to be responsible development of AI, as systems are designed to respond to users’ moods.
He warned that chatbots should be programmed to ‘augment’ social interactions - but not replace them - following cases where people have become too ‘fond or reliant’ on AI companions.
Mr Laffer said this has led to cases such as that of Jaswant Singh Chail, who was jailed for nine years for treason after climbing into the grounds of Windsor Castle in 2021 with a crossbow having conversed with a chatbot called Sarai about planning an attack on the then Queen.
Mr Laffer, who co-authored the study ‘On Manipulation By Emotional AI’ published by Frontiers of Sociology, said: ‘AI doesn’t care, it can’t care.
