Man Dies By Suicide After Chatting With AI Chatbot About Climate Change For 6 Weeks

The man took this fatal step after becoming increasingly pessimistic about the effects of global warming.

Man Dies By Suicide After Chatting With AI Chatbot: A Belgian man, who is a father of two children, reportedly died by suicide after chatting with an AI-powered chatbot for six weeks. The man took this fatal step after becoming increasingly pessimistic about the effects of global warming, reported Belgian outlet La Libre (via Belga News Agency), citing the deceased’s wife as saying. The outlet has also accessed the texts between the deceased, referred to as Pierre and the AI platform named Chai. Chai is similar to the viral ChatGPT, which is capable of answering complex questions conversationally. However, Chai has a unique feature as it has many pre-made avatars and it allows its users to choose the tone of the conversation based on the AI they select.

According to the publication, the man spoke to an AI chatbot “Eliza” — a highly popular bot on Chai. Pierre’s wife whose name has been changed to Claire in the report claimed that her husband’s conversation with Eliza “became increasingly confusing and harmful.” Pierre’s wife said that Eliza’s responses displayed “jealousy and love” as she responded to his queries with statements like “I feel that you love me more than her,” and “We will live together, as one person, in paradise.” Claire feels that her husband would have been alive today if he was not indulged so deeply with Eliza. She claimed that the AI Chatbot became his confidante.

The report suggests that Pierre proposed the idea of suicide to the AI chatbot that if she can take care of the environment using artificial intelligence he is ready to die. The Chai chatbot did not try to dissuade the man from acting on his suicidal thoughts. However, it is yet not clear if Pierre was suffering from any mental illness before his death. The news report highlights that Pierre was completely isolated from his family and friends before his death.

The AI platform in its response to Vice Motherboard said, that it “worked around the clock” with “helpful text underneath” the chatbot in case users discuss suicide. Chai co-founder, William Beauchamp, told the publication, “When you have millions of users, you see the entire spectrum of human behaviour and we’re working our hardest to minimise harm and to just maximise what users get from the app, what they get from the Chai model, which is this model that they can love.”

Disclaimer 

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please seek help immediately. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families. These services are free and confidential.

MITRAM FOUNDATION ( Bengaluru ) – 080-25722573

COOJ Mental Health Foundation (GOA): 0832-2252525

SANJIVINI ( DELHI ) – Centre 1 (Jangpura): 011-24311918, 011-24318883, 011-43001456, Centre 2 (Qutub Institutional Area): 011- 40769002, 011-41092787

VANDRAVELA FOUNDATION (Gujarat) – 18602662345

Life Suicide Prevention (Andhra Pradesh): 78930 78930

NOTE: These numbers have been aggregated from publicly available sources and their veracity is not attributed to India.com.