
Sam Heiner
Sam Hiner is co-founder and executive director of the Young People's Alliance, a youth-led advocacy organization fighting for AI and social media safety; a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
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Sep 28, 2026
S6.5 - Friend or Foe: Children and Young People and AI
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Therese MurphyHOST
So what my question for you is, Sam, is what do you think is contributing to this deeply concerning trend amongst young people? I mean, would you say, Sam, it's a technology problem? Is it, for example, human-like large language models? Or is it a business model problem? Over to you, Sam.

Sam HeinerGUEST
We've seen tech companies trying to iron out how to design models that are aligned with what users want and aligned with what humanity cares about, while at the same time not being sycophantic or constantly agreeing with the user, which can be a very enjoyable experience for the user, but can lead them down a path that can encourage delusions, like you said, or can develop really a severe form of dependence on the AI.

Sam HeinerGUEST
However, at the same time, You do have folks on the market who recognize that there's a whole market of lonely people out there who struggle to build relationships with other people.

Sam HeinerGUEST
And that rather than helping them build relationships with other people, they can make more money by designing AI companions that keep them online for as long as possible and further that isolation that they're experiencing.

Sam HeinerGUEST
through an attention-based business model, just like how we see with social media.
11 MINS LATER