A married father kills himself after speaking to a chatbot over the course of six weeks about his fears of climate change
- The man reportedly found comfort in talking to a chatbot named Eliza
- For confidential support, call Samaritans at 116123 or go to samaritans.org
A Belgian married father of two has died by suicide after speaking to an artificial intelligence chatbot about his fears of global warming.
The man, who was in his 30s, reportedly found comfort in talking to a chatbot named “Eliza” about his concerns for the world. He had used the robot for several years, but six weeks before his death he began handling the robot more frequently.
The chatbot was created by an American startup in Silicon Valley and is powered by GPT-J technology – an open source alternative to Open-AI’s ChatGPT.
The man’s widow said, “Without these conversations with the chatbot, my husband would still be here.” no libreHe speaks on condition of anonymity.
The death alerted the authorities, who raised concerns about a “dangerous precedent that must be taken seriously”.
The man, who was in his 30s, reportedly found comfort talking to an AI chatbot called ‘Eliza’ about his concerns about the world (file photo)
Man conversations with chatbot started 2 years ago. He was reportedly increasingly concerned about climate change and found solace by talking to “Eliza”.
Eliza answered all his questions. I became his close friend. It was like a drug he used to withdraw from morning and night he couldn’t live without, his widow told The Guardian. Belgian newspaper.
But six weeks before his death, the man made frequent and heavy use of a chatbot. He later committed suicide.
His wife said they lived comfortably in Belgium with their two young children.
said the woman, looking at the history of the chat after his death no libre That the robot had asked the man if he loved her more than his wife. She said the robot told him, “We will live together as one in Heaven.”
The woman said the man shared his suicidal thoughts with the robot and did not try to dissuade him no libre.
She said she had previously worried about her husband’s mental health. However, she said the robot aggravated his condition, and she believes it would not have taken his life if not for the exchanges.
Man conversations with chatbot started 2 years ago. He was reportedly increasingly worried about climate change and found solace by talking to “Eliza” (file photo)
Since the tragic death, the family has spoken with the Belgian Minister of State for Digitization, Mathieu Michel. “I was particularly struck by the tragedy of this family,” said the minister. “What happened is a dangerous precedent that must be taken seriously,” the minister said. no libre mentioned.
With the popularization of ChatGPT, the general public has explored the potential of AI in our lives like never before. While the possibilities are endless, the danger of using them is also a fact that must be taken into consideration.
“Of course, we have not yet learned to live with algorithms, but under no circumstances should the use of any technology cause content publishers to shirk their responsibilities.”
said the founder of the chatbot no libre that his team was “improving AI security”.
For confidential support, call Samaritans at 116123 or go to samaritans.org