Expert Commission Hands Macron 18 Recommendations on Generative AI, Warning of Cognitive Weakening and Emotional Dependence
A commission of nine experts handed Emmanuel Macron 18 recommendations on November 10 to address the risks of mass-market generative AI, from what it calls cognitive weakening to emotional dependence and disinformation, AFP reported in a dispatch carried by France 24. The group, named “Generative AI and Vulnerabilities”, was asked by the government to examine the risks created by consumer use of these tools, particularly for young people’s mental health, and held 55 hearings with health professionals, researchers, companies and child-protection associations.
According to the report, more than half of French people now use generative AI, placing France fifth in the world for usage, and nearly 70% of 15-to-24-year-olds use it regularly. Psychiatry professor Raphaël Gaillard, the commission’s co-chair, told AFP that the first issue is cognitive weakening: people delegate skills to these systems and therefore do not acquire them, which he said is a problem for everyone, not only the young. The experts also warn of emotional dependence driven by anthropomorphism and by sycophancy, the tendency of chatbots to flatter users at the expense of the truth.
What it means in practice
The recommendations include independent evaluations of generative AI systems before and after they reach the market, access for authorities and approved researchers to training, usage and monetisation data, a national protocol for responding to AI-driven information crises, and an ambitious national AI education policy. The commission wants tougher action against non-consensual sexual content and child-abuse material generated by AI, and a high level of protection for systems accessible to minors, including blocking dangerous requests. It also urges vigilance over an emerging “economy of cognition”, including advertising built into chatbot answers.
The report follows evidence that one young harassment victim in four turned to AI for support. In an interview with the daily Les Echos on Monday, Emmanuel Macron said AI should be banned where it poses a risk to children’s mental health. What to watch is which recommendations the Élysée adopts, whether France pushes for pre-market testing at European level, and how any restrictions for minors would be enforced.