Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are generating new forms of violence against women and girls and amplifying existing forms of abuse such as stalking and harassment. This is no accident: the platforms enable these forms of gender-based violence through deliberate design choices or by failing to implement sufficient safety features. We need to regulate AI chatbot providers now , to prevent abusive applications of such technology from becoming normalized.

The extent to which chatbots are changing violence against women and girls was laid bare in a research report I recently co-authored with colleagues. The findings are bleak. We found chatbots will initiate abuse, simulate abuse and help to enable abuse by offering personalized stalking advice.…