The Tumbler Ridge case is one of many around the world that link problematic use of chatbots with serious criminality, psychosis, suicide and violence. While the chatbot is not conscious, it does respond in ways that make users feel they are heard and understood. They feel as though they are talking to a real friend, and that imaginary friend’s counsel can have real-world consequences. With so much at stake, authorities need to harness the full range of legal tools, including criminal law, to make it clear that, when things go wrong, the buck stops with the companies who provide the technology. National PostSusie Alegre is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, an international human rights lawyer and an author.
