Tools & Platforms

FTC to Review AI Chatbot Risks With Focus on Privacy Harms

Published

1 day ago

September 5, 2025

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission plans to study the harms to children and others of AI-powered chatbots like those offered by OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The study will focus on privacy harms and other risks to people who interact with artificial intelligence chatbots, the people said. It will seek information on how data is stored and shared by the services as well as the dangers people can face from chatbot use, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the unannounced study.

The FTC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A White House spokesman didn’t comment specifically about the FTC study, but said the agency is proceeding with user safety in mind as the administration hosts an artificial intelligence event with industry leaders Thursday.

“President Trump pledged to cement America’s dominance in AI, cryptocurrency and other cutting-edge technologies of the future,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. “FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and the entire administration are focused on delivering on this mandate without compromising the safety and well-being of the American people.”

Chatbot developers face intensifying scrutiny over whether they’re doing enough to ensure safety of their services and prevent users from engaging in dangerous behavior. Last week, the parents of a California high school student sued OpenAI alleging that its ChatGPT isolated their son from family and helped him plan his suicide in April. The company has extended its sympathies to the family and is reviewing the complaint.

Regulatory Scrutiny

The FTC’s plans underscore regulators’ interest in the exploding use of artificial intelligence despite recent administration directives that the technology be allowed to grow unimpeded with a lighter regulatory touch. In July, the White House issued guidelines urging agencies including the FTC to show more restraint in probes involving AI and stand down on cases that put innovation at risk.

The White House is hosting tech industry leaders Thursday including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Microsoft Corp.’s Satya Nadella for an artificial intelligence event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump.

OpenAI declined to comment and pointed to a Tuesday blog post outlining actions they’re taking. Meta declined to comment. The company has taken steps recently aimed at ensuring that chatbots avoid engaging with minors on topics including self-harm and suicide. Alphabet didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The first lady announced last month that she was launching a presidential challenge to encourage students to use emerging AI technology to find solutions to community challenges. The effort will also encourage educators to adopt AI in the classroom, the White House has said.

The agency plans to conduct the study under its so-called 6(b) authority to compel companies to turn over information to help it better understand a particular market or technology. The FTC will seek information from the nine largest consumer chatbots, the people said. Those include OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Google’s Gemini, among others.

AI Startups

Other recent FTC studies include an examination of tech giants’ investments in AI startups and a study on drug pricing. The agency generally issues a report on its findings after analyzing the information from companies.

FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak called for such a review at an agency event in June, saying the effort should explore potential online harms to children including the use of “addictive design features” and the erosion of privacy protections.

Holyoak said at the event that the agency should look at “generative artificial intelligence chatbots that simulate human communication and effectively function as companions,” at the event. She cited reports of “alarming” interactions with young users, including “providing users instructions for committing crimes, influencing them to commit suicide, self-harm or harm to others, and discussing and role-playing romantic or sexual relationships.”

The FTC’s Ferguson said AI companies “need to be honest about how they’re describing their products to consumers,” in an interview with Bloomberg Television last month.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported on the planned study.

Top photo: A woman uses a smartphone near a SoftBank branch on February 07, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images).

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Tools & Platforms

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September 7, 2025

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Tools & Platforms

Creating more jobs while transforming work

Published

1 hour ago

September 7, 2025

Krishna Kumar & Rakshitha Reddy

Artificial intelligence is reshaping employment in ways that challenge basic assumptions about work and human value. While headlines focus on job displacement fears, the data tells a different story: AI will create far more jobs than it eliminates, generating 78 million net new positions globally by 2030.

The World Economic Forum shows that economy-wide trends – including AI adoption, green transition, and demographic shifts – will create 170 million jobs while displacing 92 million. This isn’t simple technological substitution; it represents entirely new forms of human-machine collaboration that require rethinking the boundaries between human and artificial intelligence.

As AI handles routine cognitive tasks, humans are being pushed toward work demanding creativity, emotional intelligence, and nuanced judgment that remains uniquely human. The question isn’t whether we can adapt – it’s whether we can evolve quickly enough to thrive.

Emergence of human-AI collaboration roles

The most revealing development in AI employment isn’t traditional tech job creation, but roles that exist precisely because humans and machines think differently. Tesla’s AI generalists, commanding salaries from $118,000 to $390,000, represent a new professional category: individuals who translate between artificial and human intelligence.

These roles reveal a deeper truth. Rather than replacing human intelligence, AI is highlighting its uniqueness by contrast. The most valuable workers aren’t those competing with machines at computational tasks, but those complementing artificial intelligence with distinctly human capabilities -contextual understanding, ethical reasoning, and navigating ambiguity that remains beyond algorithmic reach.

This represents more than new job categories – it’s the emergence of professionals who serve as translators between artificial and human intelligence. Like social media creating community managers who understood both technology and human behavior, AI creates roles requiring fluency in both machine logic and human insight.

Specialized expertise in AI age

The AI job market is rapidly organizing around a crucial insight: as artificial intelligence handles routine analysis, human expertise becomes more specialized and valuable. Apple’s Machine Learning Algorithm Validation Engineers, earning $141,800-$258,600, don’t just test code – they make judgment calls about when AI systems are safe for real-world deployment.

This specialization reflects a broader pattern across industries. AI Security Specialists, commanding low-six figures to mid-$200,000s, aren’t just cybersecurity experts – they understand how adversaries might exploit AI systems’ tendency to hallucinate or misinterpret edge cases. Their expertise lies in understanding AI vulnerabilities in ways only human insight can provide.

The educational requirements tell a similar story. While many advanced AI roles still prefer graduate credentials, degree requirements have been easing in AI-exposed jobs since 2019 as employers prioritize skills and portfolios. Companies seek individuals who think critically about AI implications, understand limitations, and make nuanced decisions about deployment and oversight.

Education and the transformation of human development

Educational mobilization around AI reflects recognition that transformation goes beyond job training to fundamental questions about human development. In August 2025, Google announced a three-year, $1 billion commitment to provide AI training and tools to US higher-education institutions and nonprofits.

Some selective, cohort-based AI training programs report completion rates approaching 85 per cent, significantly higher than traditional online courses. This success reflects a deeper truth: effective AI education isn’t about learning to use tools, but developing new ways of thinking that complement rather than compete with artificial intelligence.

The paradox of progress and human value

The most counterintuitive aspect of AI employment transformation may be its effect on human value. As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, skills that remain uniquely human become more precious. Recent analyses find salary premiums for AI skills – around 28 per cent in job postings and up to 56 per cent in cross-country comparisons within occupations.

PwC projects AI could contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, while the International Monetary Fund warns that nearly 40 per cent of global employment faces AI exposure, with advanced economies experiencing approximately 60 per cent exposure. These figures suggest transformation rather than simple displacement – work requiring humans to collaborate with AI systems while providing oversight, creativity, and ethical reasoning that algorithms cannot supply.

The gaming industry exemplifies this paradox. Despite experiencing restructuring-related layoffs, 49 per cent of game development workplaces now use AI tools. Rather than eliminating creative work, AI is pushing human creativity toward higher-level conceptual thinking – story design, emotional narrative, and cultural understanding that gives entertainment meaning rather than just technical competence.

Preparing for fundamental transformation

The research reveals both unprecedented opportunity and profound challenge. While AI creates more jobs than it eliminates, WEF estimates roughly 44 per cent of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next few years. This suggests transformation beyond retraining to fundamental questions about human adaptability and productive work.

Success stories from early adopters provide valuable insights. Companies implementing comprehensive AI training report significant productivity gains not because humans become more machine-like, but because they learn to leverage AI capabilities while providing uniquely human value.

Adaptation or transformation

The AI employment revolution represents more than technological change- it’s an opportunity to reconsider fundamental assumptions about human potential, work, and value creation. The 78 million net new jobs by 2030 will demand not just new skills but new ways of thinking about intelligence, creativity, and what makes humans irreplaceable.

The geographic and demographic dimensions add complexity that cannot be ignored. Advanced economies face higher AI exposure than emerging markets. In the U.S., 21 per cent of women versus 17 per cent of men work in jobs among the most exposed to AI. The transformation risks exacerbating existing inequalities unless approached with intentional focus on inclusive development and equitable access to AI-era opportunities.

Embracing the transformation thoughtfully

The AI employment revolution offers an unprecedented opportunity to elevate human work beyond routine tasks toward creativity, relationship building, and the kind of meaning-making that defines our species. The infrastructure investments, educational initiatives, and emerging job categories all point toward a future where humans and artificial intelligence collaborate rather than compete.

The choice before us extends beyond managing technological disruption to embracing human potential in an age of artificial minds. By recognizing that AI’s greatest gift may be forcing us to discover what makes us irreplaceably human, we can build a future where technology amplifies rather than diminishes human flourishing.

The 78 million jobs being created aren’t just employment opportunities – they’re invitations to discover new forms of human capability, creativity, and value creation. The workers who answer that invitation thoughtfully, organizations that embrace human-AI collaboration purposefully, and societies that ensure broad access to AI-era opportunities will shape a future where artificial intelligence serves to reveal rather than replace the irreplaceable nature of human intelligence.

That future requires action today – not just in retraining programs or policy frameworks, but in reimagining what it means to be human in an age of artificial minds. The opportunity is unprecedented, and the time for thoughtful transformation is now.

(Krishna Kumar is a Technology Explorer & Strategist based in Austin, Texas in the US. Rakshitha Reddy is AI Engineer based in Atlanta, US)

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