The focus on AI safety disasters ignores everyday harms

The article argues that the technology policy debate is dominated by catastrophic harms while the everyday damage of products—AI companions fostering dependence, chatbots writing students' work, engagement-driven feeds—goes largely unaddressed. It contends that companies promote narrow safety definitions because they are politically convenient and good for business, citing Google-backed state chatbot bills with broad carve-outs and social media's documented harms. The authors call for stronger measures, including requiring proof that AI improves learning before classroom adoption and banning companions designed to pretend to be conscious or profess love.