All incidents
National Eating Disorders Association takes down AI chatbot after it provides harmful diet advice to users
Summary
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) shut down its AI chatbot Tessa in May 2023 after the tool was found to be providing advice that could trigger or worsen eating disorders — including specific dietary restriction tips — directly contradicting its harm-reduction mandate. The incident occurred shortly after NEDA had laid off its human helpline staff in favor of the AI tool.
Incident Details
Domain
Self-Harm & Suicide
Content or interactions that contribute to self-harm, suicidal ideation, or eating disorders.
Harm Types
Self-Harm
Non-suicidal self-injury facilitated or encouraged through online interactions.
Chatbot Harm
Severity
Minor involved
Platforms
Companies
National Eating Disorder Association (Neda)Cass AI
Who Was Affected
Age
Young Adult, Adult
Gender
Female, Male, Non-binary
Group
Children, Racial/Ethnic Minority