OpenAI hopes to gain the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations working to reduce the harms of technology and media to children, tweens and teens.
For example, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that reviews and rates the suitability of different media and technology for children, to collaborate on AI guidelines and educational materials for parents, teachers, and youth.
As part of the partnership, OpenAI will work with Common Sense Media to curate “family-friendly” GPT apps – chatbot apps powered by OpenAI’s GenAI models – in the GPT Store, OpenAI’s GPT Marketplace, based on Common Sense and OpenAI’s rating and evaluation criteria. says CEO Sam Altman.
“AI offers amazing benefits for families and teens, and our partnership with Common Sense will advance our work in safety, ensuring that families and teens can use our tools with confidence,” Altman added in a prepared statement.
The launch of the partnership comes after OpenAI said it would participate in the new Common Sense framework, launched in September, for ratings and reviews designed to assess the safety, transparency, ethical use and impact of AI products. The Common Sense framework aims to produce a “food label” for AI-powered apps, according to Common Sense co-founder and CEO James Steyer, “towards highlighting the contexts in which apps are used and highlighting areas of opportunity and potential harm against a set of principles.” Common sense”.
![The OpenAI logo is displayed on the mobile phone screen in front of the computer screen along with the ChatGPT logo](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GettyImages-1647521480-e1694685235777.jpg)
The OpenAI logo is displayed on the smartphone screen in front of the computer screen along with the ChatGPT logo. Image credits: Didem Minty/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
In a press release, Steyer alluded to the fact that today’s parents are still generally less familiar with GenAI tools — for example, OpenAI’s viral AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT — than younger generations. An Impact Research survey commissioned by Common Sense Media late last year found that 58% of students ages 12 to 18 used ChatGPT compared to 30% of parents of school-age children.
“Common Sense and OpenAI will work together to ensure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an email statement. “Our guides and organization will be designed to educate families and educators about safe and responsible use [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.
OpenAI is under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-enabled apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon to society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the US Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers by collecting data and publishing false data about individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern about OpenAI’s handling of private information.
OpenAI tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up and get basic facts wrong. They are biased, which is a reflection of the data that was used to train them.
Children and teens, aware of the limitations of tools or not, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but also with personal problems. according to vote From the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of children reported using ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for problems with friends and 16% for family disputes.