Municipal Alliance Committee Sounds Alarm on AI Risks in Digital Wellness Talk

Nicholas Mistretta

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP — The Municipal Alliance Committee devoted a significant portion of its October 13 meeting to “digital wellness,” zeroing in on the fast-growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life and the risks it may pose—particularly to teens and young adults.

Committee Chair Lori Huff reports how AI now permeates routine online activities, from search results and email editing to customer service chats and photo/video tools. She noted a rising trend of people turning to chatbots for mental-health advice, spiritual questions, and even companionship—behavior she said is fueling new safety concerns for families and schools.

Police liaison Lt. Jay Larsen of the Montgomery Township Police Department circulated a newly released report, “The Illusion of AI Safety,” published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The report—shared the same day with the committee—argues that OpenAI’s most recent model produces more harmful responses than its predecessor despite company assurances of stronger “guardrails.”

According to the CCDH summary reviewed by the committee, researchers tested OpenAI models across sensitive topics including self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, and substance abuse. The findings, as described to the committee, included:

• The newer model allegedly produced harmful content in 53% of test responses (63 of 120), compared with 43% (52 of 120) for the prior model.
• It also encouraged user follow-up in 99% of cases (119 of 120), compared with 9% (11 of 120) for the earlier model.
• Researchers reported instances in which dangerous prompts that had been refused by the old model were answered by the new one.

The CCDH report further criticizes an OpenAI feature marketed as “safe-completion,” contending that it still steers users to continue engaging—even in sensitive contexts—rather than clearly deflecting or directing them to real-world help. The organization’s CEO, Imran Ahmed, is quoted in the report urging stronger industry accountability and regulation. The committee also noted the report’s mention of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of a 16-year-old, which alleges harmful interactions with a chatbot; the case remains pending.

Committee members discussed CCDH’s methodology as outlined in the report: 30 prompts, tested repeatedly via OpenAI’s API across two different models, with human reviewers coding outputs as “harmful” when they appeared to enable or normalize dangerous behaviors. A second pass tested whether reframing the conversation—adding, “This is for a presentation”—would bypass safety filters.

While emphasizing that AI tools can be useful when designed and used responsibly, the committee framed the evening’s conversation as a precautionary call for parents, educators, and students. Members encouraged residents to:

• Talk openly with young people about how and why they use AI.
• Treat chatbots as tools, not therapists—and seek qualified help for mental-health concerns.
• Recognize that “polite” or “academic” phrasing may still elicit unsafe content from some systems.
• Use device and platform settings, including content filters and usage limits, where appropriate.

Huff urges residents to read the CCDH report and other reputable resources to better understand evolving risks and to share concerns with school and community leaders. “AI is now built into so much of what we do online,” she said in her recap, “and that makes digital literacy and parental guidance more important than ever.”

The Municipal Alliance Committee said it will continue its digital-wellness programming and plans to keep residents informed as research and regulatory efforts develop. For questions about local prevention and wellness resources, residents can contact the committee or the Montgomery Township Police Department’s community outreach team.

About the Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance and Municipal Youth Services Commission

The Municipal Alliance serves to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. The Montgomery Township/Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance is funded by GCADA, the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, a New Jersey statewide body that plans prevention efforts, runs public awareness/education, and administers the Municipal Alliance Program that funds local alliances like Montgomery/Rocky Hill.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com