# Earlier Moral Panics Rested on Weak Social Science by Adam Omary and Jennifer Huddleston > "The pattern is familiar from earlier moral panics over comic books, rock music, and video games. Each was sincerely felt. Each rested on weak social science amplified by strong public emotion. Each produced a policy that aged poorly." > **— Adam Omary and Jennifer Huddleston**, *What If AI Chatbots Are Saving Lives?* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication (2026-06-10):** [What If AI Chatbots Are Saving Lives?](https://newsletter.humanprogress.org/p/what-if-ai-chatbots-are-saving-lives) — exact wording verified in the article text. - **Exact original:** “Each rested on weak social science amplified by strong public emotion.” - **Editorial clarification:** Square brackets restore the referent established by the immediately surrounding source passage; no certainty, scope, or conclusion was added. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/AI-Science Doomers and Anti-Science Doomers|AI-Science Doomers and Anti-Science Doomers]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The End Is Near — AI Doom, Anti-Science Panic, and the Primates Who Sell Technological Exile|The End Is Near — AI Doom, Anti-Science Panic, and the Primates Who Sell Technological Exile]] - **Article:** [[articles/STFU About AI and Water and Just Eat Your Burger|STFU About AI and Water and Just Eat Your Burger]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/HumanProgress.org|HumanProgress.org]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "The pattern is familiar from earlier moral panics over comic books, rock music, and video games. Each was sincerely felt. Each rested on weak social science amplified by strong public emotion. Each produced a policy that aged poorly." — Adam Omary and Jennifer Huddleston, What If AI Chatbots Are Saving Lives?, 2026-06-10 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-adam-omary-and-jennifer-huddleston-moral-panics-weak-science ```