OpenAI joins Common Sense’s framework for assessing safety and impact of AI products
OpenAI has partnered with Common Sense Media to create AI guidelines and education materials for parents, educators, and young adults, aiming to enhance safety measures and gain the trust of parents and policymakers.
OpenAI has partnered with Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to assessing media and technology suitability for children, to build trust among parents and policymakers. The collaboration will focus on developing AI guidelines and educational materials for parents, educators, and young adults, addressing concerns related to tech and media harms for kids, preteens, and teens.
In a collaborative effort, OpenAI and Common Sense Media are curating ‘family-friendly’ GPTs, chatbot apps driven by OpenAI’s GenAI models, to be showcased in OpenAI’s marketplace, the GPT Store, adhering to Common Sense’s standards. CEO Sam Altman underscores the goal of providing a safer, transparent AI experience for families and teenagers. At the same time, James Steyer, CEO and co-founder of Common Sense, emphasizes the crucial need to educate parents about GenAI technologies.
OpenAI’s partnership with Common Sense is consistent with its commitment to participating in the new framework launched by Common Sense in September. This framework primarily concerns ratings and reviews that evaluate AI technologies’ safety, transparency, ethical use, and impact. The idea is to develop a ‘nutrition label’ for AI-powered apps, giving consumers a better understanding of their use and possible benefits and drawbacks.
Steyer believes parents today are generally less knowledgeable about GenAI tools, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT than younger generations. A survey by Impact Research found that 58% of students aged 12 to 18 have used ChatGPT, while only 30% of parents have. Steyer and Common Sense Media aim to ensure AI positively impacts all teens and families by providing education and guidance on the safe and responsible use of tools like ChatGPT.
OpenAI is under regulatory scrutiny to demonstrate the societal benefits of its GenAI-powered apps, notably ChatGPT, as the US Federal Trade Commission investigates claims of consumer harm through data collection and false statements. European data authorities have also voiced concerns over OpenAI’s handling of private information. Despite these challenges, children and teens are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for personal issues like anxiety, mental health, and family conflicts, with a Center for Democracy and Technology poll indicating that 29% of kids have sought assistance from ChatGPT for these matters.
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