AI could ‘trigger a damaging new wave’ of the extreme online content that led to 14-year-old schoolgirl Molly Russell taking her own life, her heartbroken father says

• Father of Molly Russel warned about dangers of AI triggering extreme content
• Tech giants are now set to face hefty punishments if they fail to protect users 

The father of tragic schoolgirl Molly Russell yesterday warned that AI could ‘trigger a damaging new wave’ of the extreme online content that led to his daughter’s death.

Ian Russell has urged ministers not to just focus on the existential risk it poses to humanity, but to also consider the ‘more immediate and tangible risks to children’s safety’.

An inquest last year found 14-year-old Molly was bombarded with self-harm and suicide material on social media, which had contributed to her taking her own life in 2017.

Tech giants are now set to face hefty punishments if they continue failing to protect users from harm – in particular children – after the Online Safety Act finally became law on Thursday.

Undated family handout file photo of 14-year-old Molly Russell who took her own life in November 2017 after she had been viewing material on social media linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide

Ian Russell (pictured) has urged ministers not to just focus on the existential risk it poses to humanity 

But Mr Russell criticised the Government for spending far too many years listening to the tech industry rather than victims, which he said led to ‘unregulated and dangerous social media platforms’.

Speaking ahead of Rishi Sunak’s AI Safety Summit, he said: ‘As the challenges of AI emerge, we cannot history to repeat itself, and nor can we afford to make the same mistakes again’.

Global leaders and tech chiefs will jet in for the two-day event in Bletchley Park next week to discuss how to safeguard against the technology’s potential threat to humanity.

A detailed 45-page government paper published this week set out what AI might mean for the future of the world, with apocalyptic suggestions robots could eventually take over and wipe us out.

The report warns, however, the most immediate danger is from ‘generative AI’, the technology behind ChatGPT which is able to generate human-like responses and content to simple prompts from users.

Within the next 18 months, it predicts, fake accounts online will make up a huge proportion of the internet and fuel extreme content online.

Chatbots meanwhile will only become cleverer and increase their ability to manipulate and influence users if their development continues unchecked, it says.

The Prime Minister is keen to use next week’s event to signal Britain’s intention of leading the world in AI regulation

Earlier this year, a grieving widow claimed an AI chatbot had convinced her husband to take his own life – leading experts to suggest it could be the first of many.

The Belgian father-of-two reportedly saw the bot as a ‘confidante’ to help deal with his mental health struggles – but the relationship grew increasingly toxic.

In their final conversation, the chatbot, named ‘Eliza’, told him: ‘If you wanted to die, why didn’t you do it sooner?’.

Mr Russell told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re increasingly concerned about the risks of poorly implemented generative AI and the potential for this to trigger a damaging new wave of online suicide and self-harm content unless strong regulatory safeguards are put in place.’

He said the Online Safety Act – which was designed to be flexible in order to deal with advances in technology – was ‘relatively future proof’, but warned there were already ‘clear gaps that will need to be plugged in future legislation’.

Mr Russell, whose tireless campaigning was instrumental in getting the bill through parliament, added: ‘While the Government focuses on long-term, existential harms ahead of next week’s AI Summit, it’s important that we don’t lose focus on the more immediate and tangible risks to children’s safety..’

The Prime Minister is keen to use next week’s event to signal Britain’s intention of leading the world in AI regulation, but he is facing increasing criticism over his perceived closeness to Silicon Valley.

With the bosses of the three leading AI labs and several other online giants dominating the guest list at the summit, campaigners have questioned whether it is right for the tech industry to be given such exclusive access to global leaders to argue for their own regulation.

Regarding his own experience with the Online Safety bill, Mr Russell said: ‘Successive governments chose to pay more attention to the tech industry rather than the concerns of civil society experts and those with lived experience, and the result was unregulated and dangerous social media platforms.’

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