In this edition of AI that backfires: Today, a chatbot was supposed to officially replace one of the largest eating disorder helplines until it was taken offline earlier this week for encouraging calorie restriction and other unhealthy behaviors it was designed to advise against.
The National Eating Disorder Association Helpline already fired all its human workers, so they have no live support to offer right now. The nonprofit says the dismissals were a planned move to make way for the so-called wellness chatbot named Tessa, but former staffers claim it was a union-busting maneuver. In March, the NEDA told its six helpline employees and 200 volunteers that their roles were being replaced by Tessa just four days after it was notified of its duty to recognize its employees’ newly formed union.
But Tessa lacks the human touch the helpline had provided since 1999: One activist trying out Tessa said it told her to try to lose one to two pounds per week by having a calorie deficit, cutting down on processed and high-sugar foods, and doing weekly weigh-ins.
What now? Tessa is only offline “temporarily” until it’s rid of the “bug” that triggered dieting advice for some of the 2,500 people who tried it out, NEDA CEO Liz Thompson told the Daily Dot. Meanwhile, the helpline’s sacked union members have filed unfair labor practice charges.