'Losing control': Selena Gomez' mum Mandy Teefey reveals fear for her family as AI rises

Selena Gomez's mum fears her family will "lose control" of how they are portrayed publicly with the continuing rise of artificial intelligence.

Mandy Teefey, who welcomed Gomez at 16 years old, says it's already common for the truth about her famous family to be taken out of context, but now fears this will be "taken to a whole other level".

"My fear is losing control of our own true narrative," Teefey tells nine.com.au, referring to the growing prevalence of AI-generated content online these days.

"People don't really read the stories [about our family], they just read the headlines right now," she continues.

Teefey notes a headline won't often tell the full story and can lead to rumours about her and her family running rampant, whether they are true or not.

It's something she tries to ignore, but she still fears the rumour mill may kick into overdrive as things like AI-generated deepfakes and unverified stories continue to rise.

"We live in a world where people say what they want, and silence is the best answer because, especially if it is false, why give them that credit or that time?" Teefey says. 

READ MORE: Jason Bateman makes rare comment about his sister

READ MORE: 'Future Mrs Neeson': What really happened between Pamela and Liam

READ MORE: Justin Theroux and Nicole Bryon Bloom expecting first baby

"I feel like there's a lack of control that's going to go to a whole other level."

Teefey believes AI is here to stay but fears what may happen if this technology goes unchecked and people are uneducated about potential risks.

As a passionate advocate for mental fitness and the co-founder of mental fitness ecosystem Wondermind, along with Gomez, Teefey is particularly nervous about the dangers of people accessing AI programs for mental health advice. 

"What concerns me most is … if therapy is allowed to be on AI," she says. 

"It dabbles in the danger zone."

But she also believes education about these technologies is key to staying informed and reducing fear. 

It's for that reason she took on a project as an executive producer for the docuseries Suspicious Minds alongside Gomez and in partnership with Agoric Media.

The new series, directed by Sean King O'Grady, investigates a disturbing side to the rise of artificial intelligence as a trigger for delusional thinking. 

With insights from experts in psychiatry, neuroscience and AI ethics, it unpacks a "growing psychological phenomenon" of people developing "complex, often life-altering delusions rooted in AI technologies" to raise awareness of these risks and encourage individuals to prioritise mental wellness.

"It's scary," Teefey says, referring to how new and complex AI technologies can seem. 

"[The reason we did] Suspicious Minds is to put the education out there and stop some of that fear, because that fear can then turn into paranoia and delusion."

Teefey is passionate about the power of education and its ability to reduce fear. 

"When Selena was younger, she was terrified of tornadoes because we lived in Texas and we'd have tornadoes all the time," Teefey recalls.

"So I said, 'Here are some books, read everything about tornadoes'. Then she came to me and she's like, 'I don't feel as afraid anymore now that I understand them and I know what to do.'"

This is exactly the goal Teefey and Gomez have with projects like Suspicious Minds and the other work they do through their organisation. 

"That's what we try to do [at Wondermind], produce content that is educational to stop that fear," she says. 

"We can't stop AI from happening … we have to stay self-educated."

The better educated people are on certain issues, Teefey says, the better-equipped they are to look after their own mental health is the main aim of Wondermind. 

Teefey and Gomez founded the mental health organisation, which they refer to as a "mental fitness ecosystem", in 2019 with the goal to create an inclusive space to work on mental fitness through specific content, workshops and pop-up events.

The business, Teefey says, came from the pair's own personal struggles. 

"We both have our own mental health conditions that we deal with on a daily basis, so we decided that we'd want to put together something that could provide tools or things that we wish we had," she says. 

"We always say that we don't speak to our audience, we grow with our audience and we learn just as much as they do while doing this."

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.

from Celebrity entertainment news, gossip and photos on 9Honey Celebrity https://ift.tt/nuZ1kjf