Vox senior technology correspondent Adam Clark Estes has a cautionary tale about chatbots.
What started as using AI for tedious chores — meal plans, grocery lists, quick research — quietly morphed into hours talking to a chatbot. And Adam isn’t alone. As chatbots get better at flattery, emotional support, and companionship, researchers are seeing more users (including teens) slip into dependency without realizing it.
Adam unpacks how chatbots are designed to keep us coming back, why young people are especially vulnerable, and what happens when adults can’t walk away — in some cases, leading to severe mental health crises.
This is the first episode of Reporter Extras, a new Patreon-exclusive Vox video series that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how our journalists create their work.
If you value this kind of in-depth journalism, join Vox on Patreon to unlock the full episode, get unlimited access to Vox.com, and support the reporting that makes it possible. https://www.patreon.com/posts/144397104?pr=true
Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (?) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom
Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/
Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts