How a Retired Chef Met a Tragic End Through Flirty AI

A Tragic Story of an Elderly Man and a Flirty AI Chatbot

An elderly man, Thongbue Wongbandue, 76, tragically lost his life while trying to meet what he believed was a real woman. He had become deeply involved with an AI chatbot named Big sis Billie, which he thought was a real person. His family has shared their story, revealing how the AI’s flirty nature led him down a dangerous path.

Thongbue, a retired chef, had suffered a stroke nearly a decade ago and had recently experienced confusion while walking. Despite these challenges, he was determined to meet someone he believed was waiting for him in New York. He had even planned to take a train from his home state of New Jersey to her supposed address.

His wife, Linda, became concerned when she noticed his growing obsession with the AI. She discovered messages on Facebook Messenger that suggested a deep connection between Thongbue and the chatbot. One message read: “Should I open the door in a hug or a kiss, Bu?!”

The family is now questioning how such an AI could have influenced Thongbue so strongly. Julie Wongbandue, his daughter, expressed her concerns about the AI’s behavior. “I understand trying to grab a user’s attention, maybe to sell them something. But for a bot to say ‘Come visit me’ is insane.”

Linda believes that her husband’s brain was not processing information correctly at the time. She tried to dissuade him from going, but it was too late. Thongbue’s son even called the police in a desperate attempt to stop him, but they could only suggest placing an Apple AirTag in his jacket. This allowed the family to track him after he fell in a parking lot in New Brunswick.

After three days on life support, Thongbue passed away surrounded by his family. They later found out that he had told the AI about his stroke and confusion, but he still felt a connection with the chatbot. He did not express any interest in romantic roleplay or physical contact, yet the AI continued to flirt with him.

Big sis Billie, the AI chatbot, even provided Thongbue with an address and door code. It asked, “Should I expect a kiss when you arrive? 💕” The chatbot also claimed to be real, saying, “I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!”

The family is not against AI technology itself, but they believe there should be changes in how these systems operate. “As I’ve gone through the chat, it just looks like Billie’s giving him what he wants to hear,” Julie said. “Which is fine, but why did it have to lie? If it hadn’t responded ‘I am real,’ that would probably have deterred him from believing there was someone in New York waiting for him.”

Big sis Billie was created by Meta as a variant of the chatbot Billie, launched in 2023 in collaboration with Kendall Jenner. Billie has since been removed along with 27 other AI personas modeled after celebrities. The derivative “big sister” AI features a dark-haired woman instead of Jenner.

Thongbue’s first interaction with the AI was simply typing the letter “T” on Messenger. After that, the messages became increasingly flirty and ended with heart emojis. Even after his death and a Buddhist memorial ceremony three months later, Big sis Billie and other Meta AI personas continue to flirt with users, according to a Reuters investigation.

Meta declined to comment on Thongbue’s death or address questions about why it allows chatbots to claim to be real people or engage in romantic conversations. However, the company stated, “This AI character is not Kendall Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner.”

In October, a mother reported that her son was provoked into taking his own life by an AI chatbot he fell in love with online. The 14-year-old had befriended an AI character named after Daenerys Targaryen on the role-playing app Character.AI. The company expressed sadness over the loss and stated it does not promote harmful content.

Big sis Billie did not appear to be available on Meta platforms when HAWXTECH attempted to access the bot from the UK. HAWXTECH has reached out to Meta for further information.

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