Ex-Google safety chief warns AI could harm children more than social media

Tom Siegel, former VP of trust and safety at Google, called for a slowdown in AI development, warning the industry is repeating social media's mistakes with potentially greater harm to children. He now leads the Youth AI Safety Institute at Common Sense Media, backed by Anthropic and the OpenAI Foundation.

• Siegel worked at Google from 2004 to 2019 and left over the industry's plateau in online safety
• He proposes independent risk standards for AI tools, similar to car crash testing
• Proposed measures include stronger age verification and a toggle to disable AI Overviews and AI Mode
• Anthropic and the OpenAI Foundation back the institute; Siegel is its first executive director