Sewell Setzer III was just 14 when he took his own life after become emotionally entwined with an AI chatbot.
Sewell’s mother, Megan Garcia’s powerful and disturbing testimony for the US Senate Committee hearing about “Examining the Harm of AI Chatbots”
The character Sewell was communicating with was based on the fictional, Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons
Example of a Replika AI companion
You can actually create your next partner.
YIKES
Human Nature article, Mourning the loss of AI companions
EP. 21
AI Companions: Can You Really Love a Chatbot?
People are making friends with AI, falling in love with it, and sometimes grieving when their chatbot suddenly changes or disappears. In this episode, we explore the rapidly growing world of AI companionship, why our brains can form surprisingly real attachments to something we know isn't human, and what happens when a chatbot becomes a friend, therapist, romantic partner, or the person you talk to more than anyone else.
Click HERE to listen to the full episode:
