Commentary: AI Safety Debate Should Focus on Everyday Harms, Not Only Catastrophic Risks
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On October 26, 2026, Sam Hiner and Emma Leiken published a commentary in MIT Technology Review arguing that the current AI safety debate is lopsided: safety standards in industry and policy circles focus mainly on preventing catastrophic events, while overlooking the everyday impact of AI products on people. The authors contend that AI's everyday erosion of people's thinking, learning, and relationships is also a safety issue that must be taken seriously, yet such everyday harms currently lack a proper place in mainstream AI safety discussions. The article is an opinion commentary offering a critique of the coverage of existing AI safety frameworks and a complementary proposal; as of this report, no institutional or policy response has been reported.
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- MIT Technology Review · AIThe focus on AI safety disasters ignores everyday harms
Writing in MIT Technology Review, Sam Hiner and Emma Leiken argue that today's AI safety debate centers on preventing catastrophic events while overlooking the products' everyday erosion of thinking, learning, and relationships.
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