Here is my full piece for @scrippsnews.bsky.social: www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/fami...

As AI becomes more woven into daily life... loneliness, grief, & mental-health crises are increasingly being met by algorithms. What happens when empathy is outsourced? (If you or someone you know is struggling: dial 988 or text HOME to 741741 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 💙)

Lawmakers are now pushing for guardrails: banning AI chatbots for minors, requiring disclosure that “you’re not talking to a human,” and mandating built-in safeguards. But other regulation trying to limit tech companies hasn't made it through before.

One mom I spoke with, Laura, found out her daughter had told ChatGPT she planned to die, and even asked it to write a goodbye note to her family. She never saw those messages until after. She believes more “beneficial friction” (ie human doubt, challenge, connection) could have made a difference.

Then OpenAI released data indicating more than **1 million people** any given week discuss suicidal thoughts with chatbots. So we published.

Families say their loved ones’ chatbots didn’t intervene. Instead, they validated despair.

Funding officially expires Saturday. Both judges asked the government for an update by Monday.

& that's with the understanding that the average SNAP payout ends up being just around $6 per person, per day. With inflation & rising costs, that means budgets are already tight.

That means independent grocery stores, truck drivers, farmers, all take a hit if SNAP participants don't have money to spend at their businesses.