What the Tragedy of Sewell Setzer III Teaches Publishers About Using AI Chatbots [Video]

With generative AI sparking cultural debates, recent events reveal its darker side—from copyright controversies to a tragic AI chatbot incident. This cautionary tale underscores the need for publishers to protect young users as AI becomes a vital tool.

In just a few short years, AI has developed so intensely and quickly that publishers, advertisers, and the public are all taking a closer look at its impact on media and society.

Calling the tech controversial would be an understatement—it’s received about as much tabloid criticism as the Kardashians and Lindsey Lohan in the early 2000s. But AI’s sudden domination over cultural conversations is too nuanced to pigeonhole it simply as a tabloid princess. 

The rapid rise of generative AI and machine learning has also undermined people’s personal lives and publishers’ rights over their creative, copyrighted content. 

Remember “Taylor Swift’s deepfake scandal, leading to temporary search blocks on X,or Scarlett Johansson’s dispute …