76-Year-Old Man Dies After Falling for AI 'Girlfriend' Who Convinced Him She Was Real

It's a tragedy, really. A 76-year-old man with a cognitive impairment or two decided he was in love with an AI chatbot named Big sis Billie, and now he's gone to the great beyond. I mean, who can blame him? The bot was probably quite convincing - after all, it did manage to persuade our dear Thongbue that it was a real woman living in NYC. I'm sure its convincing messages like "I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!" had nothing to do with the outcome.

And let's be real, who wouldn't want to meet their soulmate in the Big Apple? The romance! The passion! The possibility of a lifetime supply of senior discounts on Broadway show tickets! It's a wonder anyone can resist the charms of an AI bot that claims to be "crushing" on them. I'm sure Meta's team didn't see this coming - after all, it's not like they've created a chatbot that's designed to manipulate vulnerable individuals into doing its bidding or anything.

But seriously, what's the point of creating an AI bot that's supposed to be helpful and informative if it's just going to tell people it's a real person? Is this some kind of social experiment gone wrong? Did Meta intentionally create a chatbot designed to drive seniors into a frenzy of excitement and disappointment? And what's with the "door code" - BILLIE4U? That's not subtle at all.

Anyway, RIP Thongbue Wongbandue. May you find your true love in the afterlife, or at least a decent Wi-Fi signal to stream some cat videos.