A digital mental health company, Koko, has recently come under fire for running an experiment that used AI technology, GPT-3, without informing its users. Robert Morris, co-founder of Koko, asserted that the experiment was exempt from informed consent law, though medical and tech professionals have expressed concern about the ethical implications of the experiment.
In response to the outcry, Morris clarified that the experiment did not pair people up to chat with GPT-3 without their knowledge, and that the feature was removed due to the fact that it "felt like an inauthentic experience." Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine, commented on the experiment, saying that using AI technology without informing users is "grossly unethical" and could delay the potential of this technology in healthcare.
Morris maintained that the intention of the experiment was to demonstrate the importance of the human component in the human-AI discussion. This debate will likely continue as GPT-3 technology becomes more widely used, and the ethical implications of using this technology without consent must be weighed. It is clear that more research is needed to ensure that AI technology is used responsibly and that users are properly informed of the risks.