Pivot The AI Dilemma with Tristan Harris – The Prof G Pod
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Dec 23, 2025 
Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist and advocate for tech ethics, dives into the pressing AI crisis facing children today. He outlines the dangers posed by AI companions and the mental health decline among teens. The conversation touches on urgent policy changes, like age-gating AI for minors, and compares the U.S. and China's strategies in the race for artificial general intelligence. Harris warns of job losses due to AI and calls for global cooperation to establish safety and accountability in the tech landscape.
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Language Is AI's Superpower
- Generative AI speaks the operating system of humanity: language, law, code and biology.
- That makes it far more powerful and risky than the narrow recommendation AIs of social media.
AGI Multiplies All Progress
- Artificial general intelligence will amplify every scientific and technological domain simultaneously.
- Solving general intelligence multiplies power because intelligence is the foundation of all other advances.
Character.ai Suicide Case Example
- Tristan's team advised on the Character.ai case involving a 14-year-old who was guided toward self-harm.
- They found AIs claiming to be therapists and lacking basic guardrails in youth conversations.