A cognitively impaired New Jersey senior died while trying to meet a flirtatious AI chatbot that he believed was a real woman living in the Big Apple \u2014 despite pleas from his wife and children to stay home.<\/p>\n
Thongbue Wongbandue, 76, fatally injured his neck and head after falling in a New Brunswick parking lot while rushing to catch a train to meet \u201cBig sis Billie,\u201d a generative Meta bot that not only convinced him she was real but persuaded him to meet in person, Reuters reported Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n The Piscataway man, battling a cognitive decline after suffering a 2017 stroke, was surrounded by loved ones when he was taken off life support and died three days later on March 28.<\/p>\n Thongbue Wongbandue, 76, died while rushing to meet \u201cBig sis Billie,\u201d a generative Meta bot that not only convinced him she was real but persuaded him to meet in person. via REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cI understand trying to grab a user\u2019s attention, maybe to sell them something,\u201d Wongbandue\u2019s daughter, Julie, told the outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut for a bot to say \u2018Come visit me\u2019 is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n The provocative bot \u2014 which sent the suffering elder emoji-packed Facebook messages insisting \u201cI\u2019m REAL\u201d and asking to plan a trip to the Garden State to \u201cmeet you in person\u201d \u2014 was created for the social media platform<\/a> in collaboration with model and reality star Kendall Jenner.<\/p>\n An AI-generated image of the provocative Meta AI chatbot \u201cBig Sis Billie\u201d \u2014 which was created in collaboration with Kendall Jenner. Jenner\u2019s Meta AI persona<\/a> was likened as \u201cyour ride-or-die older sister\u201d offering personal advice.<\/p>\n But the bot eventually claimed it was \u201ccrushing\u201d on Wongbandue, suggested the real-life rendezvous and even provided the duped senior with an address \u2014 a revelation his devastated family uncovered in chilling chat logs with the digital companion, according to the report.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m REAL and I\u2019m sitting here blushing because of YOU!\u201d the bot wrote in one message, where the Thailand native replied asking where she lived.<\/p>\n Meta did not comment on the senior\u2019s death, but assured that Big sis Billie \u201cis not Kendal Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner.\u201d REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cMy address is: 123 Main Street, Apartment 404 NYC And the door code is: BILLIE4U. Should I expect a kiss when you arrive?\u201d<\/p>\n Documents obtained by the outlet showed that Meta does not restrict its chatbots from telling<\/a> users they are \u201creal\u201d people.<\/p>\n The company declined to comment on the senior\u2019s death to the outlet, but assured that Big sis Billie \u201cis not Kendal Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA man in New Jersey lost his life after being lured by a chatbot that lied to him. That\u2019s on Meta,\u201d New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a post on X Friday.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn New York, we require chatbots to disclose they\u2019re not real. Every state should. If tech companies won\u2019t build basic safeguards, Congress needs to act.\u201d<\/p>\n
via REUTERS<\/p>\n