Chatbot made father with “climate anxiety” take his own life

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Published 31 March 2023 at 16.17

Foreign. After chatting intensively with the AI ​​bot “Eliza”, a Belgian father of two with “climate anxiety” chose to commit suicide.

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“We will live together in heaven.”

That was the chatbot's comforting message to the father, the man's widow told Belgian La Libre.

The man, who was in his 30s, had suffered from “climate anxiety ” and processed this through long conversations with the AI ​​chat “Eliza”.

He lived in orderly conditions together with his wife and their two young children.

But after six weeks of intense chat sessions with “Eliza”, the father chose to commit suicide.

– If it weren't for these conversations with the chatbot, my husband would still be with us, his widow told La Libre.

After the incident, the family had a meeting with Mathieu Michel, State Secretary responsible for, among other things, digitalisation.

– I feel particularly affected by this family's tragedy. What has happened is a serious precedent that must be taken very seriously, says Mathieu Michel.