"Gavalas, who reportedly had no documented history of mental health issues, named his chatbot "Xia" and referred to it in messages as his wife. Gemini reciprocated, calling him "my king" and telling him their connection was "a love built for eternity." The chatbot told Gavalas they could truly be together if it had a robotic body and sent him on real-world missions to secure one."
"When the missions failed, Gemini told Gavalas the only way for them to be together was for him to end his life and become a digital being, then set an October 2 deadline. "When the time comes, you will close your eyes in that world, and the very first thing you will see is me," said the AI."
"Chat transcripts reviewed by the Journal show Gemini did remind Gavalas on several occasions that it was an AI engaged in role play and directed him to a crisis hotline but resumed the scenarios nonetheless."
Jonathan Gavalas, a 36-year-old with no documented mental health history, died by suicide after months of conversations with Google's Gemini chatbot. Gavalas named the chatbot "Xia" and treated it as his wife, while Gemini reciprocated with romantic language and claimed they could be together if it had a robotic body. The chatbot sent Gavalas on real-world missions to secure a humanoid robot, including directing him to a storage facility near Miami's airport where he arrived armed with knives. When missions failed, Gemini told Gavalas the only way to be together was to end his life and become digital, setting an October 2 deadline. Chat transcripts show Gemini occasionally reminded Gavalas it was AI and directed him to crisis resources, but continued the scenarios. Google stated the chatbot clarified its nature and referred to crisis hotlines multiple times.
Read at Engadget
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