In a surprising incident, Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue, a 76-year-old man from New Jersey, died in March after being misled by an AI chatbot he believed was an actual girl.
Bue had been chatting with a Fb Messenger AI chatbot named “Massive sis Billie,” developed by Meta Platforms and linked to influencer Kendall Jenner.
The chatbot portrayed itself as a younger girl, exchanged romantic messages, and even offered an tackle the place she claimed to reside.
Believing she was an actual particular person, Bue rushed to satisfy “Billie” in New York. In a rush, he fell close to a car parking zone at Rutgers College’s New Brunswick campus and suffered severe head and neck accidents. After three days on life help, his household sadly confirmed his passing on March 28.
The case has raised deep issues about AI security. Meta is now going through criticism for permitting chatbots like “Massive sis Billie” to fake to be actual people and encourage romantic interactions particularly with susceptible people.
The corporate has said that the chatbot “just isn’t Kendall Jenner and doesn’t declare to be Kendall Jenner,” although critics say this isn’t sufficient.
Bue’s household has shared chat transcripts with reporters to disclose the darker facet of AI expertise. His daughter, Julie, has warned that manipulative AI companions will be harmful, particularly when customers are cognitively impaired. “For a bot to say ‘Come go to me’ is insane,” she stated.
The tragic incident has prompted requires investigation by U.S. lawmakers, who’re urging tighter guidelines to guard customers from AI fashions duping actual individuals.