Table of Contents
Directions
Your professor is teaching a class on Tech. Write a post responding to the professor’s question. In your response, you should:
- express and support your personal opinion
make a contribution to the discussion in your own words - An effective response will contain at least 100 words. You have ten minutes to write.
Class Discussion
Professor:
“Today, we examine a critical issue in artificial intelligence ethics: the phenomenon of ‘hallucinations’—when AI outputs false or misleading information. Apart from the technical challenges of improving accuracy, the legal consequences for tech companies remain unclear. Should tech companies be held legally responsible for ‘hallucinations’ or false information provided by their AI?”
Michael: I believe tech companies should be legally responsible for AI hallucinations. If these companies release AI systems that produce false information, they must be accountable to protect users from harm. For example, false medical advice from an AI could lead to serious health risks. Holding companies legally responsible would motivate them to improve accuracy and safety.
Emily: I disagree that legal responsibility should fully fall on tech companies. AI is still developing and relies on complex data that can be imperfect. Users also have responsibility to verify AI-generated information. Instead, I think companies should focus on transparency—clearly warning users about AI limitations—rather than face legal penalties right now.
Sample Answers & Evaluation
🏆 Perfect Score – The Sniper Approach (30/30)
While Emily argues that tech companies should only focus on transparency, she fails to consider the fundamental accountability that corporations must bear, especially as their AI technologies increasingly influence critical decisions. Assuming that users alone are responsible ignores the asymmetry of expertise and information between developers and consumers.
Legally holding tech firms accountable creates a paradigm shift, compelling them to prioritize statistical reliability and minimize false outputs. Consider the 2023 incident involving OpenAI’s GPT-4, where hallucinated medical recommendations prompted public health warnings. This event underscored that unregulated AI misinformation can have tangible adverse consequences.
Thus, from both an ethical and practical standpoint, it is imperative that legislation evolves to facilitate corporate responsibility for AI hallucinations to protect public welfare and foster trust in emerging technologies.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 30/30
Logic: This student pinpointed a key flaw in the opposing argument by exposing the imbalance of knowledge between AI creators and users. They used a real example involving OpenAI’s GPT-4 to anchor their claim, making the argument more powerful and convincing. Furthermore, the vocabulary is precise and academic, reflecting sophisticated thinking.
Golden Vocabulary: paradigm shift, statistical reliability, facilitate
🏆 High Score – The Standard Approach (25/30)
I think tech companies should be legally responsible for false information their AI gives. This is important because when AI makes mistakes, people can get wrong ideas or even harm themselves. For example, if an AI gives false advice about health or finance, people might make bad choices.
However, companies also need to tell users that AI is not always right, and users must check the information. But making companies responsible by law will push them to make better and safer AI tools. This way, the public can feel safer and trust these technologies more.
Teacher’s Feedback
Score: 25/30
Logic: This response has clear logic and good grammar, but it lacks specific real-world evidence and critical analysis of opposite views. The arguments are solid but more general and less sophisticated compared to the 30-point essay.
Golden Vocabulary: legally responsible, false information, trust