NEW YORK, United States — Prince Harry urged companies developing artificial intelligence to slow their work, warning that children could become emotionally dependent on chatbots.
Speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, he said developers should establish that further advances were safe before pursuing them.
Harry proposed a condition for proceeding in remarks published by his office, “If we cannot demonstrate that the next frontier is safe enough to cross, we should not race across it simply because we can.”
He also cited concerns among those developing AI about whether safeguards and human oversight could keep pace with increasingly capable systems.
“Even people building these systems are warning us about what happens if capability outruns safety and human control,” he said.
Responsibility for Children’s Safety
Harry criticised technology companies for placing responsibility on parents and children when their products caused harm. He said the businesses that built the systems should be held accountable.
He referred to litigation alleging that conversations with AI chatbots had contributed to teenagers’ deaths.
The Duke of Sussex said the prospect of children treating a chatbot as a trusted confidant raised concerns beyond those associated with social media’s competition for their attention.
“It doesn’t just want your attention; it wants your attachment. It wants to be the thing you confide in. The thing that remembers you. The thing that tells you it understands you. The ultimate sycophant. And for a child, that distinction matters enormously,” he said.
Harry acknowledged advances in restricting children’s social media use and holding technology companies responsible for harm.
He urged developers to make trust and safety priorities as they built AI products.
He had addressed the initiative in 2024 about the risks social media posed to young people.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have campaigned for stronger protections for children online.
A teleprompter failure interrupted this year’s address. Harry later returned to the stage to finish his remarks.
