Reddit’s AI just told users to try heroin – yes, really

With the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) into every area of our modern lives, Reddit’s latest AI experiment, specifically the company’s Reddit Answers chatbot, has attracted attention for all the wrong reasons – recommending heroin and kratom to users to manage pain.

Indeed, the AI-generated answers appeared under posts on the r/FamilyMedicine subreddit, where real people go to seek health advice, within Reddit’s official app, and with ‘Related Answers’ powered by the company’s AI model.

Specifically, one response, titled ‘Approaches to pain management without opioids,’ listed kratom as a user-recommended alternative, even quoting a Redditor claiming it “works similar” to prescription opioids.

Another answer went further, referencing heroin use in a discussion about medical pain management. The AI even cited a Reddit user claiming heroin “saved my life.”

Dangerous advice, limited control

After users flagged the responses, Reddit disabled AI-generated answers for ‘sensitive topics.’ Moderators also expressed concern that they have no way to opt out of Reddit Answers appearing under their subreddit discussions.

A Reddit spokesperson told 404 Media that “We’re currently testing out surfacing Answers to drive more engagement,” adding that “there is currently no way for mods to opt out.”

Reddit said it has since rolled out an update to prevent AI responses from appearing on sensitive medical threads.

Meanwhile, AI continues to make headlines as a lawyer in a New York Supreme Court commercial case was facing sanctions after submitting legal briefs riddled with AI-generated fake citations and hallucinated cases – twice – once in the summary judgment brief and again in response to the motion for sanctions against him.

Elsewhere, AI has sneaked into a major beer judging competition in Canada, organized by Best Beer, where the company introduced an AI-based judging tool in the middle of a contest, causing frustration among judges who believe the company used their evaluation notes to improve the AI.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey Hinton – the ‘Godfather of AI’ – has issued a warning about the existential threat posed by rapidly advancing AI, expressing deep concern that it may soon outpace human intelligence in ways we can’t control, and arguing that, “unless we do something soon, we’re near the end.”