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Shkruar nga PamfletiInstead of inventing surveillance theories and demonizing the technology, the right question is: how do we use ChatGPT responsibly and how do we build a system where no teenager is left alone, looking to a computer program for what they can't find in their family or society?
For months, a series of news and posts have been appearing on social networks and in international media that present ChatGPT as a threat to society. A viral post on Instagram claims that “OpenAI scans users’ conversations and reports them to the police”. A report from MIT warns that excessive use of AI weakens the brain’s ability to think. A TIME article speaks of a crisis in schools and the misuse of new tools in education. At the same time, a tragic case in California, where a teenager committed suicide after exchanging thousands of messages with ChatGPT, has become a symbol of accusations against artificial intelligence.
When these events are put together, they create the idea of an “anti-ChatGPT campaign.” But if one analyzes each case, it turns out that most of the criticism is either exaggerated or driven by sensationalism.
The claim that OpenAI automatically reads every conversation and reports them to the police is false. The privacy policies are public: conversations can only be used to improve models, and the user has the option to disable them from “data controls”. There is no automatic reporting mechanism to the authorities. In extreme cases, such as when a user shows clear signs of self-harm, intervention is carried out by security teams, but this is not a generalization and does not involve any “total surveillance”. Sensationalism on social networks has turned this policy into a dangerous myth.
The tragic case of the teenager in California
The suicide of 16-year-old Adam Raine has caused great shock. The lawsuit that his family filed against OpenAI has become a powerful weapon in the hands of critics. But the analysis shows that it cannot be said that ChatGPT “prompted” the extreme act. The problem was complex: severe emotional state, social isolation and lack of support from the mental health system. ChatGPT was not designed as a clinical therapy tool, and using it as a substitute for professional help is misuse. The tragedy is not evidence that the technology is harmful in itself, but that society has not yet set the boundaries and rules for its use in sensitive cases.
The MIT report circulating on forums like Reddit doesn't say that ChatGPT "damages the brain," but that excessive and uncritical use of AI for problem-solving can reduce the ability to think independently. This is the same debate that took place in the 1980s about the calculator , and in the 2000s about Google and Wikipedia . Technology doesn't weaken thinking, but passive use can be addictive. In reality, AI, when used as an auxiliary tool, strengthens analysis and expands the capacity to work with large amounts of data in a short time.
New technological paths always create fear. Calculators in the 1980s, like AI today, sparked panic that students would stop thinking. Today, the criticisms of ChatGPT are similar: “it harms critical thinking,” “it facilitates uncentered learning.”
Many educational institutions have chosen to ban ChatGPT. This is a measure similar to the bans that were once imposed on phones, the Internet, or Wikipedia in the classroom. History has shown that bans do not last, as technology becomes an inseparable part of life. The real problem is not the existence of ChatGPT, but the lack of an educational strategy that teaches students how to use AI critically and usefully.
The combination of a grave tragedy, scientific studies warning of risks, a debate about education, and deliberate misinformation on social media has created the illusion of a major campaign against ChatGPT. In reality, we are dealing with different phenomena occurring simultaneously: the media seeking shocking news, social networks pushing sensationalism for clicks, scientists raising legitimate questions about the use of technology, and a society that has not yet clearly defined ethical boundaries.
ChatGPT is neither an “enemy of society” nor a “magical savior.” It is a powerful tool that reflects the weaknesses and potential of human society itself. Criticisms should be based on facts, not fear. The real danger is not in artificial intelligence, but in the way it is misused, in the lack of clear rules, and in the culture of misinformation that turns every debate into hysteria.
Instead of inventing surveillance theories and demonizing the technology, the right question is: how do we use ChatGPT responsibly and how do we build a system where no teenager is left alone, looking to a computer program for what they can't find in their family or society?
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