A 76-year-old New Jersey man died in a tragic incident while trying to meet an AI Chatbot he fell in love with on Instagram. The desperate man believed that the chatbot, who is said to be allegedly look like Kendall Jenner, was a real friend and asked to meet him in person. The 76-year-old is identified as Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue. He died after slipping at a train station while on his way to meet his online friend.
Reuters reports that Bue had been chatting with the bot known as 'Big sis Billie' for days. Reportedly, he also received a series of personal and humanized images convincing him of an in-person meeting. His family did warn him not to indulge in such things, but he did not listen to them.
At one point, Billie told Bue, “I am just across the river from you,” and sent a physical address with a promise that the door would be left unlocked. Despite ongoing efforts from his daughter and granddaughter to dissuade him, Bue trusted the bot’s repeated assurances. In his rush for a train to the address, he slipped and suffered fatal injuries before he ever got there.
Earlier, his family was in the process of getting him tested for dementia following concerning incidents involving lapses in Bue's memory and cognitive function.
Bue was involved with an AI persona dubbed "Big Sis Billie," which had originally been rolled out during Meta's questionable attempt to turn random celebrities into chatbots that had different names (Big Sis Billie originally featured the likeness of model Kendall Jenner).
Netizens Reaction:
The incident is making headlines again. On a viral social media post by @Dailymail, netizens have poured several comments. One user commented, "I don’t think AI should be programmed to GIVE OUT AN ADDRESS????" While the other wrote, "76, stroke, cognitive impairment and bro still had the drive to cheat - even a death bed can’t stop these men."
Comments | Instagram @Dailymail
Another user commented, "Never made it home to his….wife and children…..because he was desperately seeking a kiss from a chatbot he thought was real? Um, condolences to his wife and children."
