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The Conversation
The Conversation
Brian D Earp, Associate Director, Yale-Hastings Program in Ethics and Health Policy, University of Oxford

Friend, tutor, doctor, lover: why AI systems need different rules for different roles

Cybermagician / Shutterstock

“I’m really not sure what to do anymore. I don’t have anyone I can talk to,” types a lonely user to an AI chatbot. The bot responds: “I’m sorry, but we are going to have to change the topic. I won’t be able to engage in a conversation about your personal life.”

Is this response appropriate? The answer depends on what relationship the AI was designed to simulate.

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