What is a sensitive situation?

Sensitive situations in chatbot development refer to topics that may trigger negative emotions, harm users, or damage brand image. Examples include violence, harassment, suicidal thoughts, racial or gender discrimination, religious content, and data privacy issues.

Risks of mishandling by chatbots

Improper handling can lead to:

• Loss of user trust
• PR or brand crises
• Legal violations regarding personal data
• Psychological distress for users

This is why chatbot programming must include risk anticipation and safeguards.

Techniques for detecting sensitive content

To help chatbots detect such situations, developers should use:

• Keyword filtering for hate or harmful content
• Machine learning models for tone and emotion analysis
• NLP tools like spaCy, BERT, or APIs like Google Perspective

Combining rule-based and AI-based methods improves contextual accuracy.

Handling passive and intentional language

Chatbots should avoid robotic, emotionless replies. They must:

• Respond with neutral, respectful tones
• Redirect users to human support or relevant information
• Learn continuously from user feedback

User: “I feel terrible. I want to disappear.”
Chatbot: “I’m really sorry to hear that. If you need help, please call 1900 xxxx or tap to talk to one of our counselors.”

Protecting data and privacy

Chatbots must follow strict data protection principles:

• Avoid storing sensitive user data unless necessary
• Use data anonymization
• Comply with GDPR and Vietnam’s Decree 13/2023/ND-CP
• Provide deletion requests per privacy policy

Emergency response plans

For urgent cases like suicide, harassment, or domestic violence, chatbots should:

• Display emergency contacts
• Escalate to human agents if possible
• Log and alert backend teams

Testing with simulated scenarios

Testing is vital for reliable chatbot behavior:

• Create test cases for violent or sensitive content
• Run user simulations to evaluate responses
• Continuously analyze logs and improve models

Conclusion

As AI continues to expand in real-world applications, responsibly programming chatbots to handle sensitive situations is both a technical and ethical imperative. Businesses must invest in both the technology and operational processes that ensure safety and trust.

Start with the basics: robust filters, empathetic response logic, human escalation paths, and legal compliance. This is the foundation for a professional and humane AI chatbot.