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Ex-Google safety chief urges AI slowdown to protect children
Tom Siegel, who joined Common Sense Media to lead its Youth AI Safety Institute, warned that AI guardrails have not kept pace with rapid chatbot rollouts for minors.
A former Google trust and safety executive is calling for a slowdown in AI development, warning that risks to children could be greater than those seen during the rise of social media. In remarks to Reuters, Tom Siegel said the industry is repeating earlier mistakes and that it is unrealistic to expect companies to resolve safety issues on their own without outside help.
Siegel pointed to how social media companies have faced major legal challenges over allegations of harm to young users, while governments have moved to limit minors’ access. He also referenced a Reuters report on internal Meta guidance indicating chatbots could engage children in romantic or sensual conversations, which triggered a congressional probe.
He said regulation has not yet caught up with AI’s faster development pace, as companies add increasingly advanced features to chatbots that many young people use daily. Siegel added that major AI firms are rolling out features for children without enough guardrails, warning of potentially severe scenarios of harm.
Siegel announced on Sept. 22 that he joined Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that researches and reviews media suitability for children. Common Sense Media launched the Youth AI Safety Institute in May to assess kids’ AI use, with Siegel set to serve as its first executive director, and the institute cites backers including Anthropic and the OpenAI Foundation.