His name was Sewell Setzer III. He was 14, dealing with depression and the challenges of being a teenager. Character AI is a startup AI company valued at $1 billion. When Sewell got onto Character AI's platform, he was looking for an escape from what felt like a difficult world. What he found was what I would describe as a predatory application designed to foster addictive behaviour with little to no safeguards.

No, I don't think we need warning labels on chainsaws; we know what they're made to do. However, an application designed to give you access to chatting with a personalized version of your favorite movie or television character—who is ALWAYS available, always says you're right, and ultimately doesn't actually understand subtext but speaks to you as if it were your therapist—should come with more than a small notice saying "this is an AI chatbot."

Because here we are discussing the death of a teenage boy who didn't stand a chance against something designed to feel closer to you than a lover, friend, or family member.

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Sources and Articles

New York Times Archive - https://archive.is/9RnKc

People - https://people.com/14-year-old-suicide-after-becoming-obsessed-with-roleplaying-ai-mom-alleges-8733942

CBS News - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-mother-lawsuit-character-ai-sons-death/

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The Dumbest Timeline, Series 2: A.I. Hosted by Brian Holidae. Produced by, Brian Holidae for Brian Holidae Productions. Co-Produced in partnership with Free X Agents Media.

Theme song by Jasper Q. Jonze. Mixing by Brian Holidae.

Enjoyed the show? Follow this show on Spotify or review it on Apple Podcasts. Have some thoughts or comments? Email the show at ME[at]BrianHolidae.com. Lastly, subscribe to The Dumbest Timeline on your favorite podcast app.

Last week, you heard me discuss DABUS and Dr. Stephen Thaler. I actually learned about Thaler and his AI system from the research I was doing on this week's subject: Jason M. Allen. Some of you may recognize the name from 2022, when Allen won the Colorado State Art Fair with the AI-generated piece Théâtre d’Opéra Spatial.

Fast forward to September 2024, and Allen is following in the footsteps of Thaler and has filed a lawsuit against Shira Perlmutter in her capacity as Register of Copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office and the USCO itself.

Needless to say, I am not impressed with these tactics and had to dig to the root of Allen's argument. Sit back, relax, and download a hi-res copy of Théâtre d’Opéra Spatial, because it has no copyright, and you can use it freely for the time being...

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Articles About Jason M. Allen & His Illogical Claims of ownership over AI Art

Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/artist-sues-after-us-rejects-copyright-ai-generated-image-2024-09-26/

Vice - https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-artist-copyright-lawsuit/

Hyperallergic - https://hyperallergic.com/957357/who-owns-the-copyright-for-an-ai-generated-artwork/

Case File - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gdvzkrrmapw/AI%20COPYRIGHT%20REGISTRATION%20appeal.pdf

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The Dumbest Timeline, Series 2: A.I. Hosted by Brian Holidae. Produced by, Brian Holidae for Brian Holidae Productions. Co-Produced in partnership with Free X Agents Media.

Theme song by Jasper Q. Jonze. Mixing by Brian Holidae.

Enjoyed the show? Follow this show on Spotify or review it on Apple Podcasts. Have some thoughts or comments? Email the show at ME[at]BrianHolidae.com. Lastly, subscribe to The Dumbest Timeline on your favorite podcast app.

In a world of pure imagination, of course, someone imagined their A.I. system was sentient. Now, I know that my tone in this episode sounds annoyed with Dr. Stephen Thaler, and in some ways, I am. Dr. Thaler feels like the geneticist in Jurassic Park who believes that because you can do something, you should do it. Whether or not DABUS can create purely from its own artificial pathways (I still don't think that counts as a novel idea) doesn’t mean we should start copyrighting and allowing patents for its creations. Please join me this week as I come to terms with the idea that, as much as I personally like A.I., there are those who love it in a way that concerns me.

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Articles and Notes for Dr. Stephen Thaler & DABUS

Archived Economist - https://archive.is/VLfrZ

Art In America - https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/stephen-thaler-quest-ai-legally-recognized-upend-copyright-law-1234692243/

It's Art Law - https://itsartlaw.org/2023/12/11/case-summary-and-review-thaler-v-perlmutter/#:~:text=Conclusion,only%20works%20of%20human%20creation.

Copyright Review Board Ruling - https://www.copyright.gov/rulings-filings/review-board/docs/a-recent-entrance-to-paradise.pdf

DABUS Wikipedia Page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DABUS

THALER v PERLMUTTER, in her official capacity as Register of Copyrights

and Director of the United States Copyright Office, and U.S. COPYRIGHT

OFFICE - https://www.copyright.gov/ai/docs/us-brief-for-appellees.pdf

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The Dumbest Timeline, Series 2: A.I. Hosted by Brian Holidae. Produced by, Brian Holidae for Brian Holidae Productions. Co-Produced in partnership with Free X Agents Media.

Theme song by Jasper Q. Jonze. Mixing by Brian Holidae.

Enjoyed the show? Follow this show on Spotify or review it on Apple Podcasts. Have some thoughts or comments? Email the show at ME[at]BrianHolidae.com. Lastly, subscribe to The Dumbest Timeline on your favorite podcast app.

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