#kokobot

[fontgoddess]

If I were running a chatbot that was being criticized for problems with consent, I would make sure that it understands the word “no” without having to be blocked and reported.

I’d also make it so that it didn’t send unsolicited messages to everyone sharing articles about its ethics lapses as if they want to use it.

Even for an old-school chatbot this is just staggeringly incompetent and a gigantic flashing warning sign that the organization should not be trusted with sensitive data and high-stakes interactions.

#koko #chatbot #mental health #medical ethics #ethics #suicide prevention #consent #trigger warning #kokobot

[dirtydragonthoughts]

Absolutely fucking NOT. Blocked, and I suggest others do the same.

#kokobot

[followthebluebell]

... not a big fan of getting unsolicited messages from a fucking bot claiming to be here for my mental health.  ¬_¬

#kokobot

[rolynek]

#lgbtq #koko care #kokobot #kind #genderfluid #queer love #gay #trans joy #lgbt #transgender

[kokobot]

I love the concept of Koko, sometimes I spent half to an hour helping others and getting help too and it boosts my night after a hard day. Thank you all <3

#kokobot #thankyou #mentalhealthawareness #submission

[wrongdanvers]

kokobot is the best thing that’s happened to me this week i love it so much

#kokobot

[ranidspace]

Hi. You may have heard of "kokobot" and recently they have done some sketchy stuff. They recently ran an experiment on roughly 4000 people instead of getting real humans to help vulnerable people in distress, they used AI, specifically ChatGPT.

NOTE: if you HAVE used koko and had no idea, you were definitely talking to a real person. People part of the experiment were explicitly told it was an AI afterwards.

The full thread is here, but some important bits

Note: later he clarifies that it was "opt in". however i think thats bullshit sincein one tweet says it stopped working after they learned it was made by ai. I also included that last tweet to show it may have future plans to incorporate it again.

Rob morris is the co founder of koko, shown here.

If kokobot has helped you, do not feel bad about it. I am not saying "do not use kokobot" i am informing you about some of the things they have done in the past. Please know they are no longer doing this, talking with koko will give you a real human now.

If you were one of the 4000 people experimented on I would very much like to hear how it felt to you.

#kokobot #koko #ai #chatgpt #mental health

[edwardpinestar]

Just got dmed by a certain Koko Bot, and let me tell you, as someone who has, and still does, struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts, dysphoria, anxiety and more-

This is far from appreciated.

People struggling with mental health issues are not test subjects, they should not be put into study papers and the like without clear and informed consent, especially when it's very, frighteningly easy for their data to be identified back to them! This is disgusting, people are not being properly informed of what they are allowing themselves to be part of, they are being approached out of nowhere and completely unwanted by this bot, and their privacy is not adequately being protected!

Please, keep an eye out for this bot, and stay safe. Reach out to a helpline, to a hospital, to someone you can trust if you need help- I promise you, you are not a burden, so don't be afraid to do so. Just stay away from this bot. For your own safety.

It appears as though it stops dming after you tell it to, judging by its own message. I am sceptical, and it shall remain to be seen. Block it just in case.

#mental health #kokobot #psa #avoid kokobot #kokobot does not adequately keep user privacy #its own creator declines to say if 'participants' have meanfully consented #please just stay away from it #its not safe

[ratsnbugs]

somewhat recently @kokobot (https://www.kokocares.org/) has established itself on tumblr and will message people about how it will “anonymously pass your message through the Koko network of real people (not counselors, not therapists, just Tumblr users like you!)” in order to help people with issues ranging from body image to sexuality to depression and whatnot. before ppl decide if they want to message with it or not, they should know koko is the same platform that had this story break recently: https://gizmodo.com/mental-health-therapy-app-ai-koko-chatgpt-rob-morris-1849965534 

i work on clinical trials w/ human participants for a living and those require internal review board (irb) approval due to the use of human subjects. however, because this was not a medical or academic endeavor, irb approval is not needed to test chatgpt responses on people seeking help with their mental health. rob morris, the founder of koko, also made unclear & contradictory statements in his twitter thread on this experiment that, at least to me, make it veeeery unclear if the people seeking help were aware they were part of an experiment. again, because this is not a medical or academic endeavor, that’s legal because you don’t legally need informed consent. 

kokobot messaged me today so i figured ppl should know about koko and using ppl as experimental subjects maybe with or without their permission, and the likelihood that you may not be messaging an actual person

#txt #koko #kokobot

[volixia669]

DO NOT USE KOKOBOT

While not a "will scam you out of your money" thing, the Kokobot is just not ethical or a good idea. Its from a "mental health nonprofit" from the minds that brought you "airbnb aka ruining the housing market with the gig economy".

Also there's this:

For one thing, they're acting like mental health professionals aren't real people which feeds into all sorts of biases.

Then one has to consider, if they're "random people", do they have the training for crisis management? Can they tell if someone is about to commit suicide or is just having thoughts? Can these people handle more disturbing discussions?

Its like a tech bro decided to see if its possible to make money off a discord vent channel with all the major problems of a discord vent channel (no therapists, no crisis management, pls stop using the vent channel to replace therapy) left unsolved.

Oh but it somehow gets worse.

See. One of the co-founders of Koko had the brilliant idea to set up an experiment to see if chat gpt can be used to replace actual people/professionals.

He even stated he didn't bother going to the ethics review board aka IRB because he believed he was exempt from their rules.

Oh, and no one involved in the experiment consented, there was anger they were talking to a bot, AND many of Koko's users are adolescents. As far as we know this didn't lead to anyone spiralling but we DON'T KNOW SINCE THIS WAS AN INFORMAL EXPERIMENT.

Now, there is some debate as to whether or not the IRB COULD get involved, due to lack of clarity regarding how scientific this was.

Regardless, it was unethical and dangerous. Be wary of Koko amd Kokobot.

#koko #kokobot #cw: suicide mention #cw: abusive mental health services #btw you don't decide if you're exempt the irb does especially when it comes to minors and mental health #i mean a mental health bot dming you on tumblr is scammy enough as is #and then it keeps getting worse #this isn't a/b testing a feature these are people's LIVES at risk #anyone who's had to be a discord vent channel therapist knows how bad this shit can get

[ashes2caches]

#196 #rule #196 campfire #r196 #mental health #ai #kokobot #trolley problem #psychology #meme

[gigakoops]

Dear Tumblr Staff: I had no idea you had partnered with random AIs that message people based on their searches, but automatically sending a "mental health help" bot at me just for looking up "autism" (I'm autistic, I just wanted to see what sorts of posts people make about it here these days) seems a bit of a stretch to me.

Whatever this AI is using to target people, please perhaps at least message the creators and mention that just looking up "autism" isn't a sign of a mental health issue, okay? It's a bit creepy.

#tumblr #kokobot #also it just feels intrusive #is there a way to just turn off bots finding you this way?

[kokobot]

Koko’s Commitment to Your Privacy

👋 Hi, it's the team at Koko. 

We're aware there's been some misunderstanding about what we do here at Koko, and with Kokobot on Tumblr. 

First things first - your privacy is super important to us. We never, ever sell your data. And we don't collect any info that can identify you personally, unless you choose to tell us. That includes information like your IP address, device ID, or Tumblr account info. Our integration with Tumblr was built with that in mind: preserving as much of your privacy as possible.

Second, we're a nonprofit company. We're registered in the U.S. under a 501(c)(3) status. Donations help us do our work. And just to clarify further, we're not affiliated with any other specific company or organization. Our main goal is to make mental health resources available for everyone. 

Most folks come to Koko for perspective on things that are troubling them – the kind of stuff you might share with a friend. If we spot a user who seems to be in crisis, our system steps in. We guide them to resources like crisis lines that can provide immediate help. Our systems are not always perfect, and that’s why we also have human moderators who help.

We're here to help people gain a new perspective when they need to talk to someone. But remember, we're not a formal mental health service. If you or someone you know needs help, please check out Tumblr's counseling and prevention resources.

Check out: Our FAQ section (https://kokobot.tumblr.com/) 

Koko’s Origin Story (https://www.kokocares.org/origin-story)

If this information clears up some doubts, we'd appreciate it if you could reblog this. We're here to help, and we're committed to ensuring safety.

- The Koko Team

#kokobot #koko

[azure-cherie]

You can dm me anytime , i promise to answer as i see it 🤍💫.

And also I would like to mention about kokobot , that's a great service Tumblr has provided so check it out too 🤍✨. Stay strong .

Have a great day/ night 🌻.

#mental health #kokobot #awareness

[starfleetacademy]

Hey why does kokobot sound like an estranged father figure trying to come back into my life

#roman rambles #unironically was low key triggering lmfao #kokobot

[accidentalslayer]

You cannot automate compassion.

#kokobot #tumblr #kokobot is an abomination #you cannot program a bot to eradicate the need for human kindness