AI-powered chatbots are reshaping how we interact online, but they also raise pressing ethical and practical concernsâespecially for parents and teachers. Join us for AI ChatBot Ethics as we examine how children and teens engage with these tools, from companionship to questionable information sources. Drawing on the BBC TechLife podcast âDating a Chatbotâ and recent high-profile stories, weâll discuss media literacy strategies to identify risks, navigate misinformation, and foster responsible AI use. Donât miss this timely conversation on the opportunities and challenges chatbots bring to families today.
Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
Time: 12 pm EST | 6 pm CET | 10:30 pm ISTÂ
LOCATION: Register here for the webinar series.
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Required Media
Podcast: Dating a Chatbot (BBC TechLife Podcast, 4 June 2024, 30.5 min)
Article: Can A.I. Be Blamed for a Teenâs Suicide? The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy says he became obsessed with a chatbot on Character.AI before his death. (NYTimes, Kevin Roose, 23 Oct 2024)
Article: From passwords to medical records,10 things to never say to AI bots (Kim Kommando, USA Today, 26 Dec 2024)
Optional Media
AI ChatBots: Character.ai and butterflies.ai
Article: Chatbot 'encouraged teen to kill parents over screen time limit' (BBC News, 11 Dec 2024)
Article: What do people really ask chatbots? Itâs a lot of sex and homework (Washington Post, 4 Aug 2024, paywall-free archive.ph version)
Article: AIs are coming for social networks (The Verge, 18 June 2024)
Article: Gen Z men could ditch real women for AI, warns exâGoogle CEO Eric Schmidt after a tragic suicide involving a chatbot (Fortune, 28 Nov 2024)
Video: Eric Schmidt - The Risks and Opportunities of an AI Future | Prof G Conversations (24 Nov 2024, 34 min)
Article: âHe Would Still Be Hereâ: Man Dies by Suicide After Talking with AI Chatbot, Widow Says (Vice, 30 March 2023)
Host: Dr. Wesley FryerÂ
Wesley Fryer, PhD, is a middle school STEM and media literacy middle school teacher at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. As an educational technology âearly adopter / innovatorâ since the late 1990s, Wes shares a variety of resources on social media platforms including BlueSky, Mastodon, YouTube, Linked In, Facebook, TikTok, etc. Learn more about him on wesfryer.com/bio. Watch one of his TEDx talks (or another presentation) via this YouTube playlist.
Please get in touch with us if you want to suggest future Media Club meeting topics to discuss an article, book, podcast, video or any media related to our interests.
Dr. Wes Fryer, Webinar Series Manager |Â wes.fryer@providenceday.org Â