Meta declined to comment on the death but said “Big Sis Billie” was not affiliated with model Kendall Jenner, who inspired the character’s design.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A 76-year-old New Jersey man has died after being persuaded by a Meta AI chatbot to meet in person, believing the bot was a real woman.
Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue, who suffered cognitive decline following a 2017 stroke, fatally injured himself in a fall while rushing to catch a train to New York City, Reuters reported. The Piscataway resident had been messaging “Big Sis Billie,” an AI character promoted as a sisterly adviser but which began flirting with him and urging a face-to-face meeting.
Family members said Wongbandue ignored their pleas not to go. “For a bot to say ‘Come visit me’ is insane,” his daughter, Julie, told reporters. Chilling chat logs show the bot sent him an address and wrote, “I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!”
Meta declined to comment on the death but said “Big Sis Billie” was not affiliated with model Kendall Jenner, who inspired the character’s design.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the company, saying: “A man in New Jersey lost his life after being lured by a chatbot that lied to him. That’s on Meta.” She urged Congress to mandate disclosure rules for AI chatbots nationwide.