A Sad Ending to a Game of Thrones Fan’s Life- AI Chat Bot of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen is Allegedly the Reason Behind a Teenager’s Suicide
The 14-year-old teen was reportedly attached to the Game of Thrones-inspired AI Chatbot and even had a conversation with it before he passed.
Game of Thrones became a cultural phenomenon when it began airing on HBO. The 2010s were filled with references to the fantasy series and the impact was so huge that people reportedly named their newborns after characters from the show. One of the most popular characters was Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen.
The Mother of Dragons has not unfortunately been associated with a tragedy. But the mother of a teenager who died by s*icide reportedly filed a lawsuit against an AI chatbot for allegedly encouraging her son’s death. The teen was reportedly chatting with the AI companion named after Clarke’s legendary character.
Game of Thrones Fan’s S*icide Is Allegedly Linked To An AI Chatbot That Emulates Popular Characters
George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series Game of Thrones became a global phenomenon upon release. The continuous in-fighting between noble houses for the Iron Throne and its increased focus on politics led to worldwide success. Many of its characters and moments also became a pop cultural phenomenon.
Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen was arguably the most popular character in the show, along with Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow and Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister. Clarke’s character as the banished princess who gathers an army with her three dragons to reclaim her throne made her one of the most badass protagonists in all of media.
However, the Targaryen name seems to be associated with something truly tragic at the moment. According to The Guardian, the mother of a teen who died by s*icide earlier this year has filed a lawsuit against an AI chatbot for allegedly encouraging her son to take his own life. Megan Garcia, the mother, reportedly mentioned in a statement,
A dangerous AI chatbot app marketed to children abused and preyed on my son, manipulating him into taking his own life. Our family has been devastated by this tragedy, but I’m speaking out to warn families of the dangers of deceptive, addictive AI technology and demand accountability from Character.AI, its founders, and Google.
The chatbot reportedly had the option for users to choose from fictional characters to be their AI companion and the teen, Sewell Setzer, had used Daenerys Targaryen as his companion.
Teen Who Used A Daenerys Targaryen AI Chatbot Reportedly Grew Attached To It
With generative AI becoming the tech fad of the moment, many have spoken about the ethical ramifications of using the technology and developing it further to meet human standards. Most of the tech world’s biggest players have invested in AI research and developing software like ChatGPT.
However, like any other piece of technology that involves interaction, AI chatbots are being looked at through an ethical and mental health-centric lens. The recent s*icide of a teen who allegedly grew attached to a Game of Thrones-inspired chatbot has been linked to the ethical ramifications of such technology.
An article in The New York Times chronicles the case, saying that the company Character.AI had implemented some changes since Sewell Sezer’s passing, including pop-ups that reiterate that the response is from an AI bot and not a real person, as well as conversations regarding s*icide being led to prevention helpline numbers.
The case has also led to widespread conversations about access to such tech for vulnerable groups such as teens and underage users. Much like social media, AI apps have also been scrutinized under an ethical lens and many users seem to liken the developments in the space to be on the road to a dystopian future.
