APA’s strategic advocacy efforts have helped secure a significant victory in protecting consumers from potentially harmful AI technologies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this week that it is launching a comprehensive inquiry into AI chatbot companionsopens in new window, directly addressing concerns that APA and APA Services raised in a letter and subsequent meeting with the FTC earlier this year.
The letter outlined serious risks posed by unregulated AI-driven mental health chatbots, including misinformation, privacy vulnerabilities, lack of scientific evidence for effectiveness, and the potential for these tools to provide unqualified advice to susceptible users.
The inquiry also comes on the heels of APA’s senior director of health care innovation, Vaile Wright, PhD, testifying before the House Energy & Commerce Committee last week on matters related to this issue.
As part of its inquiry, the FTC is issuing orders to seven major technology companies—including Alphabet, Meta, and OpenAI—seeking detailed information into “what steps, if any, [they] have taken to evaluate the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions, to limit the products’ use by and potential negative effects on children and teens, and to apprise users and parents of the risks associated with the products.”
Specifically, the FTC inquiry will examine how these companies:
- monetize user engagement;
- process user inputs and generate outputs in response to user inquiries;
- develop and approve characters;
- measure, test, and monitor for negative impacts before and after deployment;
- mitigate negative impacts, particularly to children;
- employ disclosures, advertising, and other representations to inform users and parents about features, capabilities, the intended audience, potential negative impacts, and data collection and handling practices;
- monitor and enforce compliance with company rules and terms of services (e.g., community guidelines and age restrictions); and
- use or share personal information obtained through users’ conversations with the chatbots.
This accomplishment affirms the vital role psychology plays in informing evidence-based policy, and that the profession’s science-based warnings are being taken seriously at the highest levels of government. APA Services will be engaging actively with the FTC throughout their inquiry, submitting formal comments, and offering the depth of psychological science and expertise that only APA can provide. Our goal remains to help shape a regulatory environment that fosters responsible innovation while prioritizing consumer protection and mental well-being.