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.
6 works on “Is it good for us?” · Article · clear filters
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.
Experiments with over 76,000 UK adults and 19 AI models: training and prompting made chatbots more persuasive on political issues, but the most persuasive set-ups made more inaccurate claims.
Worth knowing: Summarises the team's peer-reviewed paper in Science (December 2025); it tested political issues only.
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.
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.