Moderators call for AI controls after Reddit Answers suggests heroin for pain relief

The article discusses the concerns raised by Reddit moderators regarding the AI-powered tool Reddit Answers, which has provided potentially dangerous medical advice to users. Specifically, the tool suggested that individuals experiencing chronic pain stop taking their current prescriptions and instead use high-dose kratom, an unregulated substance that is illegal in some states. The tool also suggested that heroin could be used for chronic pain relief, which is a highly dangerous recommendation. Several moderators, particularly from health-focused subreddits, have expressed their concerns about the inability to disable or flag the problematic advice provided by Reddit Answers. They argue that the tool is not equipped to handle the complexity of medical information or the potential for sarcasm and bad advice from other users. In response, a Reddit representative stated that the platform has updated Reddit Answers to ensure that "Related Answers" to sensitive topics, which may have been previously visible, will no longer be displayed. However, it seems that Reddit does not currently have plans to provide tools for moderators to control how or when the AI is shown in their subreddits, which could make the already-challenging task of moderation even more difficult.