Prince Harry calls AI the ‘ultimate sycophant,’ urging swift slowdown to protect children

Prince Harry has joined calls for an urgent slowdown in the development of AI, calling it the “ultimate sycophant” and warning that technology is moving faster than researchers can keep pace with. The Duke of Sussex made the comments in his second appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting in New York, which comes amid rising alarm over AI after a worker at leading company Anthropic put the chance of AI-powered human extinction within 10 years at greater than 10%. Harry’s speech focused in particular on the risks to children, with the duke warning that the systems developed by tech giants like chatbots aim to “find you, hook you, exploit you, break and then blame you.” While praising advances made globally to restrict children’s access to social media, as well as hold tech giants accountable, Harry warned, “Technology is moving on. Fast.” He pointed to a lawsuit which alleged that AI chatbots have contributed to the deaths of teenagers “who trusted them with things no child should have been left alone to ask an algorithm.” “Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships,” Harry said, arguing that companies choose to distance themselves from the responsibility of the systems that they built and instead blame parents and children. “It doesn’t just want your attention, it wants your attachment. It wants to be the thing you confide in. The thing that remembers you. The thing that tells you it understands you. The ultimate sycophant. For a child, that distinction matters enormously,” he added. He called for a slowdown of the development of AI, as well as prioritizing innovation that centers around trust and safety. Harry is known for high-profile campaigns speaking about the harmful impact of technology on young people. His 2024 speech at the CGI focused on the dangers of social media and targeted the heads of “dangerously powerful” social media conglomerates. His appearance in New York comes less than a month after he returned to the UK alongside his his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. There are recent signs of tension within the Royal Family after a letter sent on behalf of King Charles clarified that Harry and Meghan should be treated as “private citizens” following their return. The Sussexes are said to have been “surprised” by the letter, according to a spokesperson for the couple. This story has been updated with new informations.