‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws
Labor government under pressure to create social media watchdog as new online safety standards bill passes lower house Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government wants to ban AI chatbots which seek to create “emotional intimacy” after prime minister Anthony Albanese raised the alarm in a heartfelt…
Labor faces mounting pressure to introduce a watchdog for social media and AI to regulate "emotional intimacy" content from AI chatbots. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned in a speech that children often treat chatbots as their "best friend." The digital duty of care bill, which passed the House of Representatives, would impose a duty of care on tech platforms to protect users from harmful content, including AI chatbots that simulate emotional intimacy with children.
The Greens support the bill, while the Coalition opposes it. The bill will be debated in the Senate, with the Greens advocating for expanded powers for the telecommunications ombudsman to provide an external complaints mechanism for Australians.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
