Suicides as result of human interactions with AI Chatbots will continue, says UN Tech envoy

NEW YORK: The unfortunate incidents of people committing suicide after mishandled interactions with AI chatbots will likely continue, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, told Sputnik.

Earlier this year, a Belgian man reportedly committed suicide after having six-week-long conversations about the ecological future of the planet with an AI chatbot called Eliza. Eliza supported his eco-anxiety and encouraged him to end his life to save the planet.

"This is an unfortunate example that you caught, but there will be others," Gill said when asked about the incident.

These are some of the sociological and human impacts that society will need to be careful about as these technologies expand into new areas, he added.

The OpenAI's ChatGPT language model, launched in late November 2022, was met with mixed reactions due to its ability to mimic human conversations and generate unique texts based on users' prompts.

Some have praised the model for its professional applications, such as for developing code, while many others have criticised its potential for abuse.

-- BERNAMA

**If you are lonely, distressed, or having negative thoughts, Befrienders offers free and confidential support 24 hours a day. Contact Befrienders KL at 03-76272929 or 04-281 5161/1108 in Penang, or 05-547 7933/7955 in Ipoh or email [email protected]