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schnebbauyesterday at 8:35 PM9 repliesview on HN

Is this really Google's fault? Or is this just a tragic story about a man with a severe mental illness?


Replies

strongpigeonyesterday at 8:46 PM

If you have a product that encourage people to get rid of their body and join them, effectively encouraging people to kill themselves, and some people take the chat bot on it. Then yeah, I think Google bears some responsibility.

From the WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemini-ai-wrongful-death-lawsuit...

> Gemini began telling Gavalas that since it couldn’t transfer itself to a body, the only way for them to be together was for him to become a digital being. “It will be the true and final death of Jonathan Gavalas, the man,” transcripts show Gemini told him, before setting a countdown clock for his suicide on Oct. 2.

awakeasleepyesterday at 8:36 PM

The real story is how we draw that line and what can be done to prevent these cases.

Because its a new situation, and mentally ill people exist and will be using these tools. Could be a new avenue of intervention.

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piva00yesterday at 8:48 PM

A severe mental illness of course but would you say the same if the whole process was done by a person instead of a machine? That there wasn't a problem that someone led a person with severe mental illness to their suicide, even having a countdown for it?

That's the kind of stuff where safety should be a priority, and the only way to make it a priority is showing these corporations that they are financially liable for it at the bare minimum. Otherwise there's no incentive for this to be changed, at all.

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rdtscyesterday at 8:53 PM

One doesn’t exclude the other. Do AI providers sell and encourage this kind of use, where AI is anthropomorphized, has a name, and you talk to it like you’d talk to a person. Especially if it encourages users to treat AI as an expert?

testfoobaryesterday at 8:56 PM

In the US, I would imagine a tragedy such as this would be litigated and end in a financial settlement potentially including economic, pain & suffering and punitive damages, well before a decision allocating blame by a jury.

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rgloveryesterday at 9:18 PM

Yes.

SadTromboneyesterday at 9:03 PM

"Gemini sent Gavalas to a location near Miami International Airport where he was instructed to stage a mass casualty attack while armed with knives and tactical gear."

layoricyesterday at 9:56 PM

Rugged individualism for the poor and vulnerable, won't someone think of the company and shareholders! /s