Vanderbilt University's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion used ChatGPT to write a condolence email to students about the Michigan State University shooting, which students criticized as lacking empathy and human connection.
On February 16, 2023, the Peabody Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Vanderbilt University sent an email to students addressing the February 13 Michigan State University shooting that killed three students and injured five others. The 297-word email emphasized creating 'safe and inclusive environments' but contained generic language without Vanderbilt-specific resources or terms. At the bottom, a small disclaimer read 'Paraphrase from OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023.' Students criticized the use of AI as 'disgusting' and lacking empathy during a time requiring human connection. Associate Dean Nicole Joseph apologized on February 17, calling it 'poor judgment.' Dean Camilla Benbow stated the email bypassed normal review processes and that administrators were unaware before it was sent. Both Joseph and Assistant Dean Hasina Mohyuddin temporarily stepped back from their roles while the college conducts a review of the incident.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Users anthropomorphizing, trusting, or relying on AI systems, leading to emotional or material dependence and inappropriate relationships with or expectations of AI systems. Trust can be exploited by malicious actors (e.g., to harvest personal information or enable manipulation), or result in harm from inappropriate use of AI in critical situations (e.g., medical emergency). Overreliance on AI systems can compromise autonomy and weaken social ties.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed