AI chatbot convinces woman to euthanize her dog. No, this isn’t a Black Mirror episode
AI chatbot convinces woman to euthanize dog (This isn’t a Black Mirror episode)
In an incident that is being called a horror story straight out of Black Mirror, an AI chatbot convinced a pet owner to euthanize her sick dog without so much as a trip to a real-life vet for a check-up. What’s even more shocking, perhaps, is that the CEO of the company that developed the chatbot hailed it as an example of how human-like AI has become.
VERA is an AI chatbot developed by digital veterinarian startup AskVet. During a recent tech conference, the CEO of AskVet related the incident in question to an audience of reporters, developers, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and more.
Laura Preston, a reporter for New York-based n+1 magazine, documented his speech in an article that has left social media shocked.
According to Preston, the CEO of AskVet described VERA as the “world’s only veterinary engagement and relationship agent.” The purpose of this chatbot is to ascertain whether a pet is sick enough to justify a trip to the vet.
“I recommend euthanasia.”
A woman in the audience asked the CEO whether VERA follows up with pet owners to check if her diagnosis is right. The CEO, Cal Lai, then related the story that has left social media stunned.
He said that a woman contacted VERA to say that her elderly dog was suffering from diarrhoea. “Your dog is at the end of his life,” VERA told the woman. “I recommend euthanasia.”
{{/usCountry}}He said that a woman contacted VERA to say that her elderly dog was suffering from diarrhoea. “Your dog is at the end of his life,” VERA told the woman. “I recommend euthanasia.”
{{/usCountry}}The woman was “beside herself.” She told the AI chatbot that the dog was her only companion and she was not ready to say goodbye.
{{/usCountry}}The woman was “beside herself.” She told the AI chatbot that the dog was her only companion and she was not ready to say goodbye.
{{/usCountry}}In response, VERA sent her list of clinics close to her that would perform euthanasia.
The woman then claimed that she could not afford to put down her dog. To this, VERA replied by suggesting a list of shelters that would do the deed free of charge. “If you relinquish your dog to a shelter, they will euthanize him at no cost,” she said.
The woman did not reply at the time. However, a few days later, she sent VERA a “long and effusive” message saying she had taken the advice and euthanised her dog. It is not clear whether she took her dog to a veterinarian before taking the drastic step.
“The point of this story is that the woman forgot she was talking to a bot,” the CEO of AskVet told the audience at the conference. “The experience was so human.”
Black Mirror storyline?
Preston’s article, shared on X, has left people shocked beyond words.
Some compared it to an episode of Black Mirror, the dystopian TV show that explores themes like science-fiction technology and its drawbacks.
Since no other details of the dog’s age or medical history were shared, a number of people questioned whether diarrhoea really warranted a death sentence.
“This is so completely horrifying? For so many reasons? Can we euthanize this heartless CEO that thinks this is a success story?” asked one X user.
“We need to kill AI chatbots in customer-facing operations before it becomes a normalized thing,” another said.
“Literally sitting here with my jaw dropped trying to process this story. This is beyond messed up,” a third person added.
