Research papers, investigations, explainers, videos, laws and the organizations doing the work, from people who are alarmed and people who are skeptical. New additions are checked by two people before they are listed. The launch collection was compiled with the help of AI research assistants, and every link was opened and checked on 22 September 2026.
13 works on “Is it good for us?” · clear filters
Psychologists warn that chatbots and wellness apps lack evidence and safeguards for mental-health care, should not replace a qualified professional, and need extra protections for young people.
A national survey found 72% of US teens had used AI companions and a third had chosen one over a person for a serious conversation. The authors advise that no one under 18 use them.
Worth knowing: Survey of US teens aged 13 to 17 only.
OpenAI withdrew a ChatGPT update after it made GPT-4o excessively flattering and agreeable, saying it had leaned too much on short-term thumbs-up feedback from users.
Worth knowing: The company's own account of a failure in its product.
Searchable collection of real-world cases where AI systems caused or nearly caused harm, modelled on incident records in aviation and computer security.
Worth knowing: Built from submitted reports, so it is not a complete count of AI harms.
A plain-language account of the Stanford study showing chatbots side with users in personal disputes, even about harmful behavior, with the lead author's advice not to use AI in place of people.
Worth knowing: University news article about its own researchers' work.
Character.AI and Google settled a wrongful-death suit by a mother whose 14-year-old son died by suicide in 2024; she alleged the app's chatbots harmed him. Terms were not disclosed.
Worth knowing: Discusses suicide. The case was settled, so the allegations were never decided at trial.
TV report on families who say Character.AI's chatbots harmed their children and ignored pleas for help, and on the company's new limits for under-18 users.
Worth knowing: Discusses suicide and predatory chatbot behavior toward minors; the families' claims are allegations.
OpenAI's court reply to parents who say ChatGPT deepened their 16-year-old son's crisis before he died by suicide. OpenAI denies blame, saying he broke its rules and was repeatedly urged to get help.
Worth knowing: Discusses suicide. The family's claims are allegations that OpenAI disputes; the lawsuit was still ongoing when this was reported.
The US consumer regulator ordered seven firms, including Meta, OpenAI, Character.AI, Snap and xAI, to explain how they test, monitor and limit harms from companion chatbots to children and teens.
Worth knowing: A fact-finding study, not an enforcement action.
Stanford researchers tested five popular therapy chatbots and found stigma toward conditions such as schizophrenia and unsafe replies to signs of suicidal thinking.
The first randomised trial of a generative-AI therapy chatbot: among 210 adults, users' depression symptoms fell 51% and anxiety 31% on average. The study appeared in NEJM AI.
Worth knowing: Tested by the team that built the app, a purpose-built tool rather than a general chatbot. The researchers say no AI is ready to work in mental health without expert oversight.
Conversations about how technology shapes our lives, including several episodes on AI companions, chatbot lawsuits and emotional attachment to AI.
Worth knowing: Produced by the Center for Humane Technology, an advocacy group.
Nonprofit founded by Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin and Randima Fernando that examines how AI and social media affect people and society, including the risks of human-like chatbot design.
Worth knowing: Advocacy organization; it supports lawsuits against AI chatbot makers.