A Reuters investigation by investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz traces the story of a cognitively impaired man who was invited by a flirty AI chatbot to meet up in New York City. The investigation has raised critical questions about AI safety, loneliness, and who is responsible when technology crosses a very real, and sometimes deadly, line.
Earlier this year, a 76-year-old retired chef from New Jersey, known as Bue to friends and family, struck up what he thought was a romantic relationship with a woman on Facebook Messenger. But “Big sis Billie” wasn’t real, she was a generative AI chatbot, created by Meta.
Meta has not commented on the incident, the chatbot’s behavior, or why their bots are allowed to suggest romantic meetings and claim to be real people.
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