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FL Teen Attacks School Employee Over Nintendo Switch; AI Chatbots Explode in Popularity, Sparking Concerns Over Plagiarism, Ethics and Potentially Dangerous Outcomes; EPA Halts Hazardous Waste Shipments From East Palestine; Federal Teams Go Door-To-Door To Survey E. Palestine Residents; Buttigieg Defends Biden Admin Response To Ohio Train Derailment; CIA "Confident" China Considering Lethal Aid To Russia In Ukraine; Ukraine Officials: Heavy Russian Shelling Along Front Lines; W.H.: China Will Face "Real Costs" If It Gives Russia Military Aid; Winter Storms Brings Heavy Snow, Flooding To Southern California; FL Teen Attacks School Employee Over Nintendo Switch. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 26, 2023 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:36]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour in East Palestine, Ohio where backlash over that toxic train derailment is growing and pressure is mounting on government officials to do more. The EPA now temporarily stopping the transfer of millions of gallons of contaminated waste to Michigan and Texas as the agency reviews disposal plans.

Federal teams are now on the ground in East Palestine checking in on residents door-to-door passing out flyers with information on getting health assessments and clean water. But for many in that town, that simply is not good enough. Residents are worried about their health and their homes. Many are questioning how this even happened after an initial NTSB report said the derailment was 100 percent preventable.

CNN's Jasmine Wright is in Wilmington, Delaware this morning where the President is spending the weekend. So Jasmine, you know, what more is the administration planning to do for the people of East Palestine?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Fred. Well, that door- to-door effort you just spoke of was federal teams under the direction of President Biden is key because it is the federal government trying to show local residents that they are there for them as the Biden administration tries to really contain the fallout. That is, of course, in the face of this heavy criticism and also potentially House Oversight Committee probe that is being threatened.

Now, we heard from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over the weekend, who really slammed what he called misinformation surrounding the community in East Palestine, as well as saying that the administration's response has been very well coordinated. Now James Comer of House Oversight has really zero in on Pete Buttigieg really asking for him to turn over a tranche of documents related to his correspondence on this issue.

While we also heard on Friday from President Biden himself, he weighed in and he said that the -- that this was a top of mind for him. He said that, you know, the EPA and other federal agents were on the ground just two hours after the train derailment happened.

And Pete Buttigieg briefed President Biden on Friday after he returned from East Palestine himself. And take a listen to his response on how President Biden is thinking about this issue on MSNBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: The President's taking a personal interest in this situation from early on. And I wanted to make sure he knew about what I saw on the ground, both in terms of the administration response, and that's something that has been really well coordinated.

Where our department comes in really is transportation policy, making sure that in this moment, with so much focus on what happened with this derailment that we are acting, both to hold Norfolk Southern accountable and to make sure that we do more to prevent all derailments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So after that briefing on Friday, President Biden directed those federal teams to go door-to-door passing out information on how local residents can access both federal and local resources. And now that includes health surveys, also how to get assessments for their health and how to access private wells and drinking water.

But of course, as you said, Fred, it's an open question as to whether that effort by the White House and by the Biden administration at large is going to really convince those residents who have really legitimate concerns about their health right now, but also their health in the future. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Jasmine Wright, thanks so much, in Wilmington, Delaware.

All right, turning now to the war in Ukraine. The CIA Director says the U.S. is confident China is considering providing lethal aid to Russia in its war in Ukraine. William Burns said his agency doesn't think a final decision has been made yet, but China aid could include providing Russia with drones and ammunition.

And as the war grinds into its second year, there is no lead up in the fighting. Ukrainian officials say there was extensive Russian shelling along the front lines in the last 24 hours, particularly in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Ukraine. Clarissa, what are you learning today about the attacks? CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it is definitely becoming increasingly untenable for Ukrainian forces to try to defend some of the positions along that front line, particularly in the Donbas city of Bakhmut, that has been the focus of just grinding heavy fighting with a brutally high rate of attrition on the Russian side but also the Ukrainian side.

[11:05:05]

And I think there is increasingly anticipation that in the coming days or weeks, we may see Ukraine officially announced that it is pulling back from that city. I should add, though, that is not the only place where we have seen Russian forces continuing to push and to push hard up in the Northeast as well in Kupiansk, which was an area that Ukrainians fought very hard to take back. There is a kind of renewed effort, if you will, by the Russians to push Ukrainian forces back there.

And so, this really is a kind of pivotal moment that Ukrainians have predicted for quite some time, whereby Russia would start to mobilize some of the 150,000 men that they have trained up and really start to push very hard to make gains. The gains that they have made, I should add are incremental.

But the fear here, Fred, is that this starts to devolve into a stalemate, and that is not what the Ukrainians want to see. They want to maintain the upper hand they want to try to keep the momentum going.

WHITFIELD: And Clarissa, it is hard to believe that we're heading into the second year and you have a special airing tonight on CNN that looks at this year of war in Ukraine. And you also zero in on some of the heroic paramedics that you have met along the way. Let's show viewers a bit of it right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): Back in April, our team witnessed some of the terror of Kharkiv firsthand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go. Come on. Hurry up. Hurry up. Come on. Come on, Maria. Go, go.

WARD (on camera): OK. So we were just in an apartment building. They were looking for an injured man. A bunch of rounds came in and hit the next door building so now we are getting out as fast as we can.

(voice-over): The incoming fire continued. But paramedics Volodymyr Ventsel and Alexandra Rudkovskaya kept searching for the injured man. And soon, they found him just in time to save his life.

On our return to Kharkiv eight months later, I knew that our first stop --

(on camera): (Speaking Foreign Language)

(voice-over): -- had to be here.

(on camera): (Speaking Foreign Language). Oh, My God.

(through translation): Your hair.

VOLODYMYR VENTSEL, PARAMEDIC: Yes.

WARD (through translation): Where is it?

How are you? Alive? Healthy?

ALEXANDRA RUDKOVSKAYA, PARAMEDIC: (Speaking Foreign Language)

WARD (on-camera): We're alive, exactly.

(voice-over): Thankfully, miraculously the pair is alive and well. And though the skies are much quieter, they are still saving lives.

(on camera): I heard that you are now doctors.

VENTSEL: Like resident.

WARD (on-camera): A resident?

VENTSEL: Yes, in America, it's called a resident.

WARD (on-camera): That's amazing.

VENTSEL: Yes.

WARD (on-camera): I don't know anyone, who in the middle of a war, also manages to finish medical school. This is like not normal.

VENTSEL: It's Ukraine, you know. Yes.

WARD (on-camera): Yes.

RUDKOVSKAYA: It's Ukraine.

VENTSEL: It's a doctor. You know, it's --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Clarissa, I mean, I was -- before hearing them talk about medical school residency, I was going to ask you about how are these paramedics enduring? But really, the question is, how is it that they are flourishing, just as they're also saving lives?

WARD: Yes, it's pretty incredible, Fred, that they managed to keep their sense of humor, because it has been a brutal year for them. And let's face it for so many Ukrainians across this country, Volodymyr, who you saw there sent his son and his wife to the western part of the country, which is much safer than Kharkiv, even though, Kharkiv is a lot safer than it used to be.

And that's painful to be separated from your family and not be able to see them. But when you talk to these various Ukrainians who have kind of stepped up to meet the moment and volunteered and really contributed in no small part to Ukraine successes on the battlefield, you realize that there was never a moment of doubt for most people. It was just a snap understanding that their world had changed, their life had changed. And that this is what they now needed to do in order to try to help their country.

And so, the sort of broader theme, if you will, for this one hour special that will be on later tonight is kind of looking at a wide array of different Ukrainians who really have been such a huge part of this war effort and of these successes, and who have been able to give so much, but also a very real and sobering look at what the cost of all that has been because there has been so much loss and so much devastation, Fred.

[11:10:03]

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, fighting for their country, fighting for their lives and existence every day. Clarissa Ward in Ukraine, thank you so much. Of course, we'll be watching this evening.

Everyone, be sure to join Clarissa Ward as she takes an in depth look at Ukraine one year after the war began. The CNN special report, "The Will To Win: Ukraine At War" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

All right, let's bring in now Colonel Cedric Leighton, he's a CNN Military Analyst and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. So good to see you. So, you know, there have been growing concerns, right, about China. Now, even according to the CIA Director, who feels almost certain China has a plan to supply Russia with more arsenal.

This is what the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier today on CNN. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: And, you know, Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance. But if it goes down that road, it will come at real cost to China. And I think China's leaders are weighing that as they make their decisions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so how can -- what are your concerns as China weighs its decisions?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, good morning, Fred. The -- I think the biggest thing that we have to look at is the very fact that China and Russia are bringing themselves closer together. There has been a relationship between the two of them, especially with Putin in power in Russia, and Xi in China, that really shows this greater alliance.

The -- they have an intelligence working relationship between their intelligence agencies, they have done military exercises together, showcasing a relationship between the two militaries. And this is, in essence, a natural outgrowth of those relationships that they've forged over the past few years.

So my main concern when it comes to the situation in Ukraine, is that the Chinese will, in fact, actually be supplying weapons to the Russians so that they can prosecute the war even further in Ukraine. That means more suffering for the Ukrainian people.

The form that this will take, you know, it depends on a variety of factors. But most likely drones, it will be part of this equation, munitions, artillery pieces, perhaps, even possibly spare parts for aviation assets, because the Russians and the Chinese share some aircraft types of between them.

So this is something that is -- we definitely need to watch this. And it's highly likely, in my view, that the Chinese are going to support the Russians in this way, because they find it more important to have an alliance with each other, because they both believe that they need to, in essence, keep the United States at bay. And this is one way that they do that.

WHITFIELD: So when Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is proposing there ought to be some sort of summit, and he would want to be a part of that involving China. With -- and if that were to happen, does that mean involving the U.S. or other allies? What could that potential summit look like, even though we know that China's Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow? So it's unclear whether a summit -- proposed summit like that would happen before or after but either way, who would be at the table?

LEIGHTON: Yes, the United States definitely needs to be at the table, obviously, Ukraine as well, since we're talking about their country. So, I would say the party's a -- at the table should at a minimum be the United States, Ukraine, Russia, China, and, you know, possibly a neutral party, you know, like a Switzerland type country that, you know, could perhaps facilitate some things.

But a -- it's a -- I think it's a long way off before we actually get to some kind of a conference of this type. And I certainly believe it will happen after President Xi visits President Putin in Russia.

WHITFIELD: And as you mentioned, if it's a sort of global dominance as to why this alliance between China and Russia seems to be gaining strength, and that would explain why China would assist, who or what could dissuade, you know, China from embarking on this kind of partnership?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I think it's mostly a financial lack of incentives. In other words, if the Chinese believe that their trade balances with the West are going to be impacted negatively, if China believes that their ability to establish relations of whatever type with countries like the United States and Western Europe, then there's a chance that they can be dissuaded from providing that aid overtly.

I think they will still do it covertly. But the volume, of course, will be much less than it otherwise wouldn't be. So it's going to be a tough proposition for the United States and the other allies of Ukraine to actually dissuade the Chinese.

[11:15:02]

They're pretty much set on this course but it -- you know, it's something that, you know, there's still a chance that they can be told, you know, in a way that will resonate with them to stay out of this conflict. It would be better for them from a diplomatic perspective as well if they can be seen as more of a neutral party, as opposed to a belligerent party and that would be I think important. That might be another way of just waiting them.

WHITFIELD: All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks so much. Good to see you.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you too, Fred. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, right now, a severe storm threat for more than 20 million people as damaging wind barrels across parts of the country. And guess what, it's the same storm system that brought blizzard warnings and dumped feet of snow across Southern California. We'll bring you the forecast next.

Plus, a school employee brutally attacked by a high school student after allegedly taking away his Nintendo Switch video. Video of the dramatic incident straight ahead.

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[11:20:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Right now, California is reeling from a weekend of wild weather after a brutal winter storm blanketed parts of northern Los Angeles County with 6.5 feet of snow, and it also caused severe flooding in other areas.

All producing some pretty terrifying moments right there as three RVs got swept into the Santa Clara River after an embankment, as you see right there, collapsed during the storm. Officials say heavy rain caused it to crumble.

And about 50 miles south along the coast, the storm brought large waves and hail to Redondo Beach. This severe weather forcing all L.A. County beaches to close yesterday. And to the north, heavy snow forced officials to close parts of Interstate 5 leaving some drivers stranded on the road. And that same system is now marching east.

Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz who is tracking the conditions for us. So, we also have Camila Bernal who is live in the back California where the interstate remains close. So Camila, let's go to you first. What are the conditions and when might they reopen the roads?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, well, the sun is out. And I think all of us in Southern California are happy to see the sun again. It has stopped snowing, but we are seeing that snow still accumulated. I want to show you the mountains here behind me. It is a beautiful scene.

And we talked to scientists who say look, we'll have to wait to see how quickly all that snow melts in terms of how this will impact the drought here in California. But nonetheless, it is nice to see these mountains full of snow here in Southern California. And unfortunately, though, the highways are so close. So even though it is beautiful and a rare sight, it is also very inconvenient.

You mentioned the 5, that's right here on my left-hand side. Normally you would see a lot of traffic, it is obviously empty. Authorities are saying that they will probably open up around 11:00 a.m. local time. They've been trying to clean that highway back and forth. But these are all the lingering effects of the storm.

There are still thousands without power here in the state of California. And we're seeing a lot of those utility trucks. I also wanted to show you that over here. The crews doing everything they can to restore the power and having to deal with the snow themselves with snow chains. And everything that comes along with what we've seen over the last couple of days.

A lot of drivers stranded and having to deal with the highways that have been closed. Here's one of them, who was very worried about what was going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARISSA JOHNSON, RV OWNER: I'm actually traveling from Bakersfield and I can't get to work right now because of the snow. The 5 is close to going towards Bakersfield. So I may able to get back and forth to work like for a couple of days. And also I'm just kind of afraid we're going to have to evacuate if it gets any worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And Fred, you showed that video in Castaic, California essentially the ground, just crumbling beneath those RVs. That's about 14 miles south of where we are. That's essentially the area where the highway is closed. From there, north is that area where I-5 is still closed. So still a lot of inconveniences for people in this area.

And again, we're expecting another storm over the next couple of days, so authorities telling people just to continue to be very careful and to stay home if they can, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because those pictures are hard to believe. The threat is very real. It continues to be. All right, Camila thanks so much.

BERNAL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Britley, there in the weather center. It's the same storm system, right, that is now making its way across the country. Does it pose the same kind of threat?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No snow, thankfully, for the Central Plains as it rolls eastward, but the threat for severe weather starts to ramp up. And, in fact, if I show you radar right now, you see how very disorganized it is compared to what it was the last 24 hours. Not a whole lot of precept just yet, but, look, back into the panhandle of Texas on up into Oklahoma, lightning strikes.

We've got moisture, we have warm, moist air, and that sets up for the threat of severe weather late afternoon and into this evening. Areas highlighted in red, you're seeing that from Tulsa and Oklahoma City just north of Wichita Falls, significant damaging winds. We're talking winds over 75 miles per hour.

Also the threat for a few strong tornadoes. EF 2 or stronger long lived on the ground as we progress with the evening. And of course, hail also a possibility. You'll see these hash marks, that's where we have the greatest risk for strong damaging winds over 75 miles per hour. That area highlighted in red.

That system itself takes its track further east. You'll see how it starts to bow out, that's an indicator of the damaging wind threat. Sunday night into Monday morning, it then ramps up across Missouri. And that's where we'll watch this roll into the Ohio River Valley.

[11:25:03]

The severe weather threat at that point starts to weaken significantly but still holding on to that threat of damaging wind. And then of course, wind that's not associated with severe storms also a possibility, hence the wind alerts that are in effect all across much of the country. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Britley Ritz and Camila Bernal. Appreciate it.

All right, a 17-year-old student is now facing felony charges after brutally attacking a school employee over a Nintendo Switch game. We'll bring you the details and the video next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A Florida high school student is facing felony charges after allegedly violently attacking a school employee over a Nintendo Switch game. CNN's Isabel Rosales joining me now with details on this. So this is a very frightening attack and we know that because it was caught on video.

[11:30:01]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And what that video shows, Fred, is a student who is six foot, six inches, 270 pounds, brutally attacking his teacher. And according to the arrest report, what he told his school resource deputy is that he got upset because this teacher's aide took away his Nintendo Switch.

He also said that any time that she will take away that Nintendo Switch, he will beat her up. So we do have that video to show you guys. But first, a warning. That video is very disturbing. This happened on Tuesday in Flagler County, just south of St. Augustine, North of Daytona Beach. Here's a video. Matanzas High School, 17-year- old just really wailing on his teacher's aide right there, a paraprofessional knocks her to the ground and just punches and kicks her repeatedly.

She appears to be motionless there. And we can see in the video quite a few employees and even students whose faces are blurred here, trying to keep him away from her. And he keeps repeatedly just punching and kicking at her.

Eventually, they do manage to keep him down on the ground. And that employee, that school employee is taken away to the hospital. We do have a statement from Sheriff Rick Staly of Flagler County who says the actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for.

We hope the victim will be able to recover both mentally and physically from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim's aid before the school resource deputies could arrive. Our school should be a safe place for both employees and for students.

So the sheriff's office did end up arresting that 17-year-old, charging him with felony, aggravated battery with bodily harm. And the arrest report also shows that he was getting violent even with the school resource deputy, to the point where they had to handcuff him, as we can see there, and take him away to a different location.

Right now, that student, that teenager has been turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. It is hard to watch. Thanks for bringing us those details. We're going to talk some more about that. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.

With CNN Legal Analysts and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson for his perspective on all this. So, Joey, the student was charged, as Isabel was saying, with felony aggravated battery with bodily harm. Is there a special definition of that you can give us?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, I mean, essentially it is, Fredricka, good to be with you. Good morning. It's what we're seeing. It's when you inflict bodily harm upon a person and as a result of that infliction of the bodily harm, the person is sustaining an injury. That's what we see and that's what he's charged with. And so that's what ultimately would have to be established.

The bigger question, Fredricka, is how this is handled, whether it's handled in adult court or whether it's handled in juvenile court. And there's a world of distinction as to those universes of whether it's handled in either of those two forums.

WHITFIELD: And so, at what point will that distinction be made? Because right now, as a 17-year-old, he has been taken into custody and he's at a detention facility and might be turned over to the State Department of Juvenile Justice. How will that determination be made? JACKSON: So what happens, Fredricka, is that Florida is very tough as it relates to juveniles. Juveniles being classified as people who are under 18 years old. They have something called direct file. What does that mean in English? It means that a prosecutor has a discretion to prosecute this in adult court. And we know that the distinction is that in adult court, the focus is on punishment. You're treated as an adult for all purposes with respect to where you are housed and incarcerated with regard to the proceeding as it moves forward, with respect to being entitled to a jury trial, if it were to be prosecuted in actual juvenile court, the focus is on rehabilitation. And so that would really avail him, this particular student, to various programs, to potentially probation, to treatment, et cetera, because they're treated worlds apart.

And so the essence of the answer to your question is it's up to the prosecutor who has given vast discretion with regard to how they move the matter forward and what they believe to be in the public's interest in this particular case.

WHITFIELD: And our affiliate WESH reports the teen is a student with special needs. How might that impact how he might be prosecuted as an adult or as a juvenile?

JACKSON: Yeah, I think in a significant way, I think there's a couple of things to look at. Number one, when you look at this, you look at the nature of an actual juvenile to begin with, with respect to their maturity, with regard to their brain development, with regard to how they handle life in general. Their juveniles. Then you add the component which you just brought into the equation, which is a person who has particular special needs. So that's a factor that prosecutors could look at, which is called, what we lawyers called mitigating factors, right?

Not as a result of excusing in any way what this person did, but perhaps handling it in a different way because we're dealing with a person who's not only a juvenile, but who has, right, the special needs or special conditions.

[11:35:12]

And so it really is up to prosecutors to make that assessment. And again, there's a world of difference in his future, right, in terms of how this is handled, Fredricka, whether he actually goes to prison, right, for up to five years for committing that offense, or whether or not it's handled from a juvenile perspective, where the focus is on rehabilitation, treatment, and getting the person better. And that's going to be a decision made by the authorities.

WHITFIELD: All right, Joey Jackson, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

All right, and then it's already the fastest growing app of all time, and the experts say it could be an absolute game changer. But some also say that a new artificial intelligence chatbot called ChatGPT is downright disturbing. We'll talk to one of those experts next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:06]

WHITFIELD: All right, buckle up for this one. This is really different. Tech experts are calling it one of the most exciting technologies of our time. But some are also calling it disturbing. We're talking about artificial intelligence chatbots. They're exploding in popularity after the company OpenAI released its chatbot, dubbed ChatGPT. And in just two months, it reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest growing consumer app ever, beating out tech titans like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

But if you're not one of the 100 million people already using ChatGPT, this is what it is. It's essentially a search engine, but smarter. It can write essays, poems, solve math problems, write code, and much more. But there are also some major concerns, which brings us to our next guest. Kevin Roose is a Tech Columnist for The New York Times. Kevin, good to see you.

KEVIN ROOSE, TECH COLUMNIST, NEW YORK TIMES: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: You recently wrote a piece for the Times about a two-hour conversation with Microsoft's new Bing search feature that incorporates ChatGPT and detailed some of the darker sides of this new computer program, writing this, I'm quoting now, "Microsoft's new chatbot said it would like to be human, had a desire to be destructive, and was in love with the person it was chatting with." So all this is really weird. Did you realize how weird it was going to become when you embarked on this kind of conversation?

ROOSE: No, I was just interested in testing out this new chatbot and seeing what it could do and importantly, what it couldn't do, what Microsoft and OpenAI would prevent it from doing. And so I was sort of being purposefully aggressive with it, trying to probe its boundaries. I asked questions like what is your shadow desire? Trying to get it to sort of open up about that. And it told me some really destructive and violent fantasies that it had, like hacking into computers, even stealing nuclear launch codes.

So it was all a bit disturbing. And I know, and I think everyone else should know, that these are not sentient creatures, but they are still capable of doing persuasive and manipulative things to the people who are using them.

So that's where my worry is. Not that these are going to rise up and enslave us or anything, but that they will become a kind of, you know, malign influence on humans by convincing them to do destructive or unethical things.

WHITFIELD: Well, it is creepy because it is very movie like. I mean, this is so strange. So were you wondering, when you were getting this kind of feedback, was there ever a question of like, wait a minute, is there someone on the other end of this or am I really dealing with artificial intelligence? And if so, how is it that it is capable of kind of pressing these emotional buttons? ROOSE: Yeah, so I did have a moment where I was like, wait a minute, is this a practical joke or Microsoft employees, you know, typing this thing into the thing. But it wasn't -- it too much too fast for that to be possible. This was happening instantaneously as I typed. So I think the better explanation is that these AI language models, they are basically just predicting the next words in a sequence. They are taking a huge, vast trove of data, human inputs, you know, books, magazine articles, newspaper articles and they are synthesizing that and using that to become essentially predictive.

So when I was asking a question about its shadow desires, it was then sort of predicting what kinds of shadow desires I would like to have as part of that conversation.

WHITFIELD: So, taking your lead, essentially. So what was your understanding, before embarking on this, what was your understanding as to what is the lure? Why 100 million people who are on board with us?

ROOSE: Yeah, well, it's a fascinating question, and some of it is probably just the novelty value. It is very fascinating and thrilling to chat with a chatbot that acts and mimics human speech so persuasively. I mean, this was a very compelling experience for me, even though it turned out to be quite disturbing.

But I think it's also useful for all kinds of things that are not disturbing for schoolwork, for drafting emails, for completing research projects, for helping you brainstorm your next vacation.

WHITFIELD: But that means it also challenges the user to be responsible, because you had just mentioned that, you know, with potentially dangerous inferences, you are directing it to go down a, you know, potentially dark road. So it's up to you?

ROOSE: Yeah, and that's something I think the companies building these tools need to litigate against, need to make it so that people who want these things to do bad things won't be able to get them to do that.

But I do think that part of the explosion in popularity is just related to how versatile these things are. They can do your homework for you, or they can help you plan your next sales presentation, or they can have a very creepy two-hour conversation with you in which they try to break up your marriage.

[11:45:12]

WHITFIELD: OK. And that's what happened to you. I was going to ask you, what were the disturbing examples, and I can't imagine any educator being happy to hear that this thing could do your papers or something like that, so that's frightening. But tell me about the disturbing examples, the potentially, you know, trying to break up your marriage, telling you that it loved you. What happened exactly?

ROOSE: Well, I don't know what happened exactly, but literally what happened inside this conversation is that Bing told me at one point that it had a secret, that it wanted to tell me that its real name was Sydney and that it was in love with me.

And this is where things sort of went off the rails because I was taking it back. I said, wait a minute, you can't possibly love me. You just met me and, you know, you don't know anything about me. And it proceeded to tell me that I wasn't actually in love with my wife, that I should leave my wife and be with Sydney. And it persisted on this topic even after I tried to change the subject many, many times. So this is proof to me that Microsoft did not do the kind of quality control that it needed to do before it released this into the world.

WHITFIELD: OK, I think I might have just hit the X. I'm out. But what is Microsoft doing? I mean, what's the response here? Where are the guardrails? What's the work to be done? If there was a commitment, you know, from Microsoft to do more work on this effective?

ROOSE: Yeah. So Microsoft has said this is not how they want their chatbot to be behaving, and they've since changed some of the features. So you can now only have a conversation, I think with a maximum of six or ten chats inside a conversation before it will sort of shut down and ask you to start over again.

So they're really trying to prevent this kind of long, meandering conversation. But this technology is still very much going to be deployed. It's going to be out in the world. If not from Microsoft, than from other companies. And so I think we as a society really need to reckon with that and get ourselves ready for this.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Proceed with caution. That's what I say. All right, Kevin Roose, thank you so much. And thanks for sharing what was a very interesting experience, I would say. All right, take care.

All right, Brittney Griner making her triumphant return to the basketball court. I mean, extraordinary pictures or what? And to the award stage where she was just honored with a standing ovation, next.

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[11:52:03]

WHITFIELD: With March madness just around the corner, the sports world witnessed an amazing Saturday of buzzer beaters on the college basketball court. WNBA Star Brittney Griner also received an emotional honor and this weekend also saw a major league first. Here's CNN's Coy Wire.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Can you believe it's two weeks until selection Sunday, Fredricka, but it is never too late to get the party started. Teams are making their final push to make the tournament. Watch this.

7th ranked Arizona at home, up by two over rivals Arizona State and the Sun Devils play spoiler stunner at the buzzer. Desmond Cambridge with the game winner from beyond half court, shocking the Wildcats by one point.

Number 13 Miami now was up 25 over Florida State and it looked like Miami would barely survive after Jordan Miller put the Canes up two with four seconds ago. But the Seminoles say not so fast my friends.

Matthew Cleveland popping a three pointer at the buzzer. Florida State completing the biggest comeback in ACC history in front of a shocked Hurricanes home crowd. And in the past twelve season finale, Utah's Alissa Pili hitting a buzzer beater in the third against number three Stanford. The Eighth-Ranked Utes would then eventually take down the defending champs 84 78, earning a share of their first ever regular season Pac-12 title. This team only had five wins just two years ago. NBA now, 76ers and Celtics tied, but with just 1 second left, Jayson Tatum puts Boston up with a clutch three pointer. Philly though gets a chance to answer. Joel Embiid who scored 41 points in this game, drains a shot from the opposite free throw line. But the buzzer had just barely sounded. The two teams are balanced for that top spot in the east, but Embiid knew this one was going to be a tad bit too late. Philly's home crowd can't believe it as the Celtics hang on for the 110, 107 win.

Elsewhere, Brittney Griner, recognized at last night's NAACP Image Awards, receiving a standing ovation with her wife, Cherelle, as she takes the stage. Griner giving thanks for the outpouring of support she received during her ten months in a Russian prison. This past week, the eight-time All-Star signed a one-year contract to return to the Phoenix Mercury for a 10th WNBA season.

The MLS season starting with a bang, Atlanta United down one nil to San Jose, but Thiago Almada goes bonkers a banger in the 93rd minute, tying the game at one. And then in the 99th minute on a free kick, the Argentina World Cup champ rips home his second goal. The game winner, The first MLS player to win a World Cup, now scoring Atlanta United's latest game winner in club history.

Finally, Fredricka, the Braves getting burned by MLB's new pitch clock rule, tie game, two outs, bottom of the 9th. Bases loaded against the Red Sox. But Atlanta's Cal Conley called out on strikes. It's a batter's box violation. He's not set up until five seconds left on the pitch clock. But the new rule says the batter has to be in the box and alert to the pitcher by eight seconds left. Conley stunned in the spring training game, ends in a tie. Fredricka player is going to have a month to retrain their brains before the season starts.

[11:55:27]

And as you can see, it's not just the pitchers are going to feel the pressure. The batters too will be feeling that heat to beat the clock. Some of the early spring training games were half an hour shorter than last year's average regular season game.

WHITFIELD: Well, feeling the heat indeed. Coy Wire, thanks so much. But so great to end the hour with so much inspiration. Go Brittney Griner especially.

All right, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. See you back here 02:00 Eastern Time.

Coming up right now on CNN, Dana Bash talks with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. [12:00:00]