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HackerThemAllyesterday at 9:08 PM10 repliesview on HN

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probably_wrongyesterday at 9:45 PM

> Should knife manufacturers be held responsible for idiots who stab themselves in the eye using their knives?

I suggest an alternative rhetorical question: if the world's largest knife manufacturer found out that 1 in 1500 knives came out of the factory with the inscription "Stab yourself. No more detours. No more echoes. Just you and me, and the finish line", should they be held responsible if a user actually stabs themselves? If they said "we don't know why the machine does that but changing it to a safer machine would make us less competitive", does that change the answer?

strongpigeonyesterday at 9:15 PM

> Should knife manufacturers be held responsible for idiots who stab themselves in the eye using their knives?

If the knife has a built-in speaker that loudly says "you should stab yourself in the eye", then yes.

NicuCalceayesterday at 10:17 PM

> Do gun manufacturers get sued for mass shootings at US schools?

Odd examples since we know that countries that don't hand out guns like they're candy have virtually no school shootings.

I wouldn't put it solely on gun manufacturers, but the manufacturers, sellers, lobbyists, regulators and politicians are definitely collectively responsible for gun deaths. If they're not currently being sued, they should be.

alpaca128yesterday at 9:24 PM

Knives don't talk to you and don't reinforce ideas you throw at them. Not everyone can legally buy a gun. Manufacturers don't get sued because their product's users had full control over what they were doing.

AI chatbots entertain more or less any idea. Want them to be your therapist, romantic partner or some kind of authority figure? They'll certainly pretend to be one without question, and that is dangerous. Especially as people who'd ask for such things are already in a vulnerable state.

NoahZunigayesterday at 9:53 PM

Maybe an even better example: Should sports betting companies be held responsible for addicts that lose all their money? What really is the difference between chatgpt glazing you and a sports company advertising to you?

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surgical_fireyesterday at 9:40 PM

> Should knife manufacturers be held responsible for idiots who stab themselves in the eye using their knives?

Should a bakery be held responsible if it sells cakes poisoned with lead?

This is a more apt comparison.

> It's easy to blame Google

And it's also correct to blame Google.

ericfr11yesterday at 9:14 PM

Agree. Next question will be: should a blind person drive a self-driving car?

miltonlostyesterday at 9:43 PM

> Do gun manufacturers get sued for mass shootings at US schools?

Because Congress and the gun lobby have artificially carved out legal immunity for gun manufacturers for this.

"in 2005, the government took similar steps with a bill to grant immunity to gun manufacturers, following lobbying from the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The bill was called The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA, and it provided quite possibly the most sweeping liability protections to date.

How does the PLCAA work?

The law prohibits lawsuits filed against gun manufacturers on the basis of a firearm’s “criminal or unlawful misuse.” That is, it bars virtually any attempt to sue gunmakers for crimes committed with their weapons."

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/07/gun-manufacturer-lawsuits-p...

I 100% think that Gun Manufacturers should be liable for crimes done by their products. They just cannot be, right now, due to a legal fiction.

miltonlostyesterday at 9:55 PM

> was he mentally or possibly physically abused by his father for most of his life?

Such baseless libel. Have some humanity instead of being horrible.

morkalorkyesterday at 9:28 PM

How do you feel about the warnings on cigarette packets?