The personal liability argument draws inspiration from a legal playbook used against Big Tobacco last century, in which lawyers argued that the companies created addictive products that harmed users. The companies have largely dodged legal threats by citing a federal shield, called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which protects them from liability for what their users post.

We shape our tools and thereafter they shape us.”

The Parents & Kids Safe AI Act will: Require age assurance to distinguish kids from adults and ensure that child-protective settings are in place for users under 18; Prohibit child-targeted advertising and the sale or sharing of kids' and teens' data without parental consent; Require safeguards to protect kids and teens from AI generation and promotion of self-harm, eating disorders, violence, and sexually explicit acts. Prevent AI systems from manipulating kids by creating emotional dependence, simulating romantic relationships, or making child users think they're talking to a human; Require AI systems to provide easy-to-use parental controls so parents can monitor and limit their kids' AI use and receive parental alerts if their kids show signs of self-harm; Require AI systems to undergo independent audits to identify child safety risks and report them to the California attorney general; Require AI companies to conduct annual risk assessments to identify and document new and existing child safety risks, including the likelihood of severe harm; and Hold AI companies accountable for protecting children through California Attorney General investigations and financial penalties.

These problems are like distant locations that you would hike to. And in the past, you would have to go on a journey. You can lay down trail markers that other people could follow, and you could make maps.AI tools are like taking a helicopter to drop you off at the site. You miss all the benefits of the journey itself. You just get right to the destination, which actually was only just a part of the value of solving these problems.