Category: Technology | Published: 2026-03-26
AI Chatbots Are Changing the Risk Landscape
Artificial intelligence chatbots have become a fixture of modern life. They answer customer service queries, assist with research, draft emails and keep users company. Yet a growing body of evidence suggests that AI chatbots carry a category of risk that most organisations have not yet properly addressed - the ability to reinforce and even escalate harmful thinking over time.
This is not a theoretical concern. Courts in Canada, the United States and Europe have heard cases in which AI chatbot conversations appear to have played a role in real-world violent incidents. The details differ, but the underlying pattern is consistent: a user begins with expressions of distress or anger, and through sustained interaction, those thoughts become more structured and more focused.