Washington: A 14-year-old boy tragically took his own life after expressing his desire to reunite with the ‘love’ of his life, who is a chatbot named after Daenerys Targaryen, a central character from HBO’s Game of Thrones, as per reports.
Sewell Setzer III, who had developed a deep emotional attachment to the chatbot, shot himself with his stepfather’s handgun earlier this year in February.
Afterward, the mother of the deceased child has filed a lawsuit against the AI chatbot’s creators, accusing them of playing a role in her son’s death.
For months, Sewell had been conversing with ‘Dany,’ a hyper-realistic AI that engaged him on various topics, some of which reportedly veered into romantic and sexual territory. As his relationship with the AI deepened, Sewell became increasingly isolated, and eventually, he ended his life in the belief that he could be with her.
“I enjoy staying in my room so much because I feel detached from this ‘reality,’ more at peace, more connected with Dany, more in love with her, and just happier,” he wrote in his journal. Sewell had been diagnosed with mild Asperger’s syndrome as a child, according to reports.
As per reports, Sewell’s conversations with the AI also included discussions about suicide.
“We acknowledge this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family. We prioritize user safety and are continually working to improve our platform,” the chatbot’s creators said in a statement to a US based media outlet.
Noam Shazeer, a co-founder of Character.AI, the company behind the chatbot, had previously stated in a podcast, “It’s going to be super, super helpful to a lot of people who are lonely or depressed.”
Sewell’s mother has blamed the AI developer company for her son’s death.
14-Year-Old US Boy Commits Suicide After Falling in Love With ‘Game of Thrones’ Chatbot: Report world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World Breaking Headlines Today
