United States: The founder of Google’s trust and safety team has called for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development, warning that the technology industry could repeat mistakes from the social media era and potentially cause greater harm to children.
Siegel announced on September 22 that he had joined Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organisation focused on children’s online safety. The organisation conducts research and reviews the suitability of media and technology products for young users.
In May, Common Sense Media launched the Youth AI Safety Institute, a research organisation focused on assessing how children use artificial intelligence. Siegel will serve as the institute’s first executive director. Anthropic and the OpenAI Foundation, the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, are among the organisations backing the institute.
Siegel stated that the new organisation would work to develop standards for holding AI companies accountable for the safety of products used by children. He also plans to work with AI companies and third-party organisations as part of the effort.
The warning comes as technology companies face increasing scrutiny over the impact of digital platforms on young users. Social media companies are facing thousands of lawsuits and significant financial settlements over allegations that their platforms contributed to harm among children and teenagers.
Governments in several countries are also introducing measures aimed at limiting minors’ access to social media platforms and strengthening online safety protections. Siegel previously worked at Google from 2004 to 2019. He left the company after concluding that the technology industry was ‘plateauing’ in its ability to create safe online spaces for consumers.
After leaving Google, Siegel co-founded TrustLab, a startup that developed tools to help companies identify and address online safety threats. He stepped down as TrustLab’s chief executive earlier in September to take up his new role at the Youth AI Safety Institute.
Siegel stated that major AI companies are already introducing features for children without putting sufficient safeguards in place. The concern reflects growing debate over how AI systems should be designed and regulated when used by younger users.
The development of AI-powered chatbots, educational tools and other applications has expanded rapidly, increasing their accessibility to children and teenagers. Safety researchers and child advocacy organisations have consequently called for stronger protections covering privacy, inappropriate content, emotional dependence and other potential risks.
Siegel’s new role is expected to focus on establishing clearer safety standards for AI products used by young people and creating mechanisms through which technology companies can be held accountable. The initiative comes as AI developers, regulators and child safety groups continue to debate how rapidly new AI capabilities should be introduced while ensuring appropriate protections for children.
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