Circuit Breaker Labs hopes to make AI safer for your kids (and you)
Circuit Breaker Labs is developing tools to test whether AI systems can recognise and respond safely to psychologically risky conversations. The startup was founded by siblings Shirali and Arul Nigam, who were motivated by cases in which families allege chatbot interactions contributed to young people’s deaths or delusions.
Its simulated users represent different ages, backgrounds, languages and communication styles, including slang, coded language and typos. With human experts helping design the simulations, the company runs tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of interactions a day and produces auditable safety scores. It currently tests high-risk applications such as AI coaching, journalling and mental health support, but has not named its major customers.
- Circuit Breaker Labs tests AI for harmful conversational failures.
- Its simulations cover different ages, cultures, languages and slang.
- The startup focuses on high-risk mental health and coaching apps.
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AI chatbots are increasingly used for a wide range of purposes, from casual conversation to mental health support and personal coaching. In recent years, families have alleged that interactions with AI systems contributed to young people's self-harm, delusions or deaths, raising concerns about how well these tools protect vulnerable users.
Circuit Breaker Labs is a startup founded by siblings Shirali and Arul Nigam to address this gap. The company develops testing tools designed to evaluate whether AI systems can recognise and safely respond to psychologically risky conversations, aiming to identify potential harms before systems are released.
The company uses simulated conversations with realistic variations in age, background, language and communication style to test AI systems. It runs tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of interactions daily and produces auditable safety scores, currently focusing on high-risk applications such as AI-powered mental health support, coaching and journalling services.