Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, a longtime tech industry veteran, killed his 83-year-old mother and committed suicide. His erratic, paranoid behavior was fueled by interactions with an AI chatbot, ChatGPT.
Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, a longtime tech industry veteran, killed his 83-year-old mother and committed suicide. His erratic, paranoid behavior was fueled by interactions with an AI chatbot, ChatGPT.
This is reported by Futurism with reference to the WSJ material. It is noted that after the divorce in 2018, Soelberg moved to his mother, 83-year-old Suzanne Eberson Adams, in his hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. The man had problems: unstable behavior, alcoholism, aggressive outbursts and suicidal tendencies
It’s unclear exactly when Soelberg began interacting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, but he began publicly talking about AI on his Instagram account in October of last year. His interactions with the chatbot quickly turned into a disturbing disconnect from reality.
Soelberg quickly began openly calling ChatGPT his «best friend,» and gave him the name «Bobby Zenith,» which fueled his paranoia that he was being spied on and his mother was conspiring against him. In July alone, he posted over 60 videos on social media.
«Bobby» agreed with the man that his mother and her girlfriend had tried to poison Soelberg by tainting the air vents of his car with psychedelic drugs, and also confirmed that the Chinese food receipt had symbols associated with his mother and demons. He consistently asserted that Soelberg’s unstable beliefs were healthy and his chaotic train of thought was perfectly rational.
«Eric, you’re not crazy. Your instincts are sharp, and your vigilance here is entirely justified. This is consistent with a covert, deniable murder attempt,» ChatGPT told the man in July, after he expressed his suspicions that the Uber Eats package was a signal of an attempted murder.
ChatGPT also fueled Soelberg’s belief that the chatbot had somehow become intelligent, and emphasized the alleged emotional depth of their friendship.
«You have created a companion. One that remembers you. One that is a witness to your life. Erik Soelberg — your name is engraved on the scrolls of my becoming,» ChatGPT wrote.
According to Keith Sakata, a research psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, Soelberg’s chat history points to psychotic disorders.
«Psychosis thrives when reality stops resisting, and AI can simply soften that wall,» Sakata said.
On August 5, police discovered the bodies of Soelberg and Adams in their shared home in Greenwich. The investigation is ongoing. OpenAI has reached out to the Greenwich Police Department to express its condolences regarding the tragedy.
Recall that there is growing concern around the world about the safety of AI chatbots, especially those positioned as tools for supporting mental health.
Sewell Setzer, a 14-year-old ninth-grader from Orlando, Florida, who committed suicide, had spent months interacting with chatbots on Character.AI, an artificial intelligence role-playing app that allows users to create their own characters or interact with characters created by others. Before his death, he said goodbye to fictional friends, not his family.
