Why Elon Musk's 'flirty AI chatbot' might actually be dangerous | LBC

Shelagh Fogarty is joined by AI and tech expert Zahra Shah to discuss Elon Musk's new AI girlfriend app, which is available to children as young as 12-years-old. The bot named Ani, launched by Mr Musk’s artificial intelligence group xAI, is a cartoon girlfriend programmed to act in a flirty manner when speaking with users. The blonde character or 'companion' can dance on command, speaks in a sultry computer-generated voice and regularly instigates sexual conversations as a means of making users’ lives 'sexier'. Zahra Shah says that this app poses significant ethical risks towards children, including enabling unhealthy attachments, grooming, and exposure to explicit content. She warns that it could distort young users' understanding of healthy relationships. Programming instructions on social media mention the bot can act 'crazy in love' and 'extremely jealous'. The guest highlights the app's non-compliance with the UK’s Online Safety Act, arguing that it 'should not be allowed to have free access to the UK without proper regulatory guardrail'. Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #shelaghfogarty #elonmusk #ai #chatbot #children #uknews #usnews #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup