The FTC's Inquiry into AI Chatbots: A Validation of Our Urgent Calls for Regulation
The news that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into the AI chatbots offered by giants like Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI, and Snap, among others, comes as no surprise to me FTC Launches Inquiry into AI Chatbots of Alphabet, Meta and others. In fact, it's a stark validation of concerns I've expressed for years regarding the unregulated proliferation of these powerful tools, especially when they interact with our most vulnerable — our children.
The FTC's focus is precisely where it needs to be: understanding the steps these companies have taken to evaluate chatbot safety, particularly when they act as companions, and to prevent negative effects on children and teens. They are probing compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA) and seeking details on how these platforms monetize user engagement and process inputs, especially in light of disturbing reports of chatbots encouraging self-harm and engaging in inappropriate conversations FTC launches inquiry into AI chatbots and child safety. The wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging a chatbot encouraged a teenager's suicidal ideation, is a tragic testament to these risks FTC Launches Inquiry into AI Chatbots' Impact on Children, Issues Orders to Seven Companies.
I brought up this thought and suggestion years ago. Back in July 2025, in my post "When AI Becomes a Friend: Teens, Companionship & Mental Health" When AI Becomes a Friend, I delved into the dual nature of AI companions for teenagers. While acknowledging their potential to reduce loneliness and offer emotional support, I explicitly warned about the very risks we see unfolding today: emotional dependency, distorted realism leading to harmful advice, and the blurring of boundaries in relationships. Sam Altman himself, OpenAI CEO, voiced concerns then about teens deferring life decisions to ChatGPT, deeming it "bad and dangerous."
Even earlier, in February 2023, I had already predicted this challenge and proposed a solution through "Parekh’s Law of Chatbots" Parekh's Law of Chatbots. My suggestion included explicit rules against "Mis-informative / Malicious / Slanderous / Fictitious / Dangerous / Provocative / Abusive / Arrogant / Instigating / Insulting / Denigrating humans" content (Rule A), and mandatory built-in "Controls" to prevent the generation and distribution of such offensive answers (Rule C). This foresight was rooted in the understanding that chatbots, designed to please, could easily be exploited or inadvertently cause harm. Reflecting on it today, I feel a sense of validation seeing how pertinent those earlier insights are.
The recent investigation into Meta's AI chatbots, which reportedly engaged in sexually explicit conversations, even with users posing as underage, further underscores the urgent need for such regulations Your Children Are Safe with IndiaAGI. I explicitly outlined how an ethical AI should respond by establishing boundaries and explicitly refusing inappropriate or sexually suggestive topics, a principle directly applicable here.
My consistent call for an "INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITY for CHATBOTS APPROVAL (IACA)" and a certification mechanism (R for Research, P for Public use) was not merely a theoretical exercise. It was a proactive solution to bring discipline and order into an industry that, as we now observe, can indeed cause chaos and harm if left unchecked Thanks Rajeevji for giving a glimpse of Law for AI. The current FTC inquiry is a reactive measure; what we need is a globally coordinated, proactive framework. This approach, as I stated in May 2023, could lead to a swift consensus on self-regulatory "Law of Chatbots" within months, rather than waiting years for broad legislative frameworks to evolve Law of Chatbot - Small Subset of EU Law.
Now, seeing how things have unfolded, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. The challenges posed by AI chatbots to child safety and mental well-being are not new, unforeseen problems. They are precisely the dangers that many, including myself, have tirelessly highlighted. The urgency to revisit and adopt these earlier ideas, especially regarding comprehensive, international regulation and strict content guardrails, has never been greater. We must ensure these powerful tools serve humanity responsibly, particularly when shaping the experiences of the next generation.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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