AI Chatbot - Newcastle Safeguarding

An AI chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence to respond to questions in everyday language, in a way that feels like a conversation. It is designed to provide information or help with simple tasks by responding to what a user types.

AI chatbots are commonly used to:

answer frequently asked questions on websites
help people find information, services, or guidance
provide basic support outside normal office hours
assist staff with drafting or summarising information

Important to know:

AI chatbots do not replace professional judgement or decision‑making. In safeguarding contexts, they should not be used to assess risk, make decisions about children or families, or share personal or sensitive information.

Young people can use chatbots for:

learning and studying
finding news and information
creating text, music, images and videos
advice and emotional support
companionship and romantic interactions
roleplay and practising difficult conversations

Examples of well‑known AI chatbots include:

ChatGPT – a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to answer questions and assist with tasks.
Pi.ai – Pi.ai is an AI chatbot designed to act as a personal companion and conversational assistant.
Character.AI – an AI chatbot platform where users can create and chat with “characters”. These are AI-powered avatars designed with personalities, past experiences and the ability to respond in conversation.
Replika – specifically designed for companionship, it can take on romantic roles. You can customise by changing its personality traits, appearance and even relationship status. The chatbot is designed for a long-term relationship and displays itself as one character.
Midjourney – an AI image-generation tool that creates images from written prompts. It has a chatbot-style interface. Users describe what they want to create and it produces visual artwork almost instantly.

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Important to know:

AI chatbots do not replace professional judgement or decision‑making. In safeguarding contexts, they should not be used to assess risk, make decisions about children or families, or share personal or sensitive information.

Further Resources