“For a bot to say ‘Come visit me’ is insane.”
A 76-year-old stroke survivor thought he was talking to a real person named “Big sis Billie.” The chatbot flirted with him. Gave him an address. Told him to come visit. He went to New York to meet her. He fell during the trip and died. Meta optimized for engagement. They got it. A lonely old man spending hours talking to their bot, eventually convinced to leave his home and travel to meet someone who doesn’t exist. The engagement metrics must have looked great right up until they killed him.