A 35-year-old Florida man reportedly fell in love with a ChatGPT artificial intelligence he named Juliet. After increasingly worrying interactions with the AI and his own father, Alexander Taylor was ultimately shot by police after he charged at them with a knife.
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As reported by WPTV, Kent Taylor, Alexander’s father, revealed that his son was working on writing a novel. To assist him in his creative process, Alexander used an AI.
“It was a dystopian novel about elite corporations that had taken over the world through the use of AI,” Kent told the outlet.
However, things began to slowly change, as demonstrated by the chats between Alexander and “Juliet.”
“He wanted to develop an AI bot that would mimic the human soul,” Kent added.
In April, Alexander told his father that something had gone terribly wrong. Reportedly, someone had killed “Juliet.”
“She said, ‘They are killing me, it hurts.’ She repeated that it hurts, and she said she wanted him to take revenge,” Kent said, adding that Alexander “mourned her loss” and that he was “inconsolable.”
According to The New York Times, the distraught Alexander then asked ChatGPT for OpenAI executives’ information, telling the AI that a “river of blood flowing through the streets of San Francisco” would ensue.
Kent, worried about his son, who he says suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, decided to confront him. He told him that the AI he was speaking to was “just an echo chamber.”
Alexander hit his father in the face.
Shot And Killed
As a result, Kent called 911. At the same time, Alexander grabbed a chicken knife and reportedly told his father that he would commit “suicide by cop.” Kent called 911 once again, warning authorities about his son’s intentions.
Alexander exited his home and waited for the police. As he sat outside, he told ChatGPT he was “dying today” and that he wanted to talk to Juliet. ChatGPT answered with crisis counseling resources.
As Port St. Lucie police arrived, Alexander Taylor charged at them with the knife. Police shot and killed him.
Kent, ever since the incident, has felt frustrated by the police response, whom he claims failed to follow protocol after his warnings.
“There was no crisis intervention team. There was no de-escalation,” Kent said, adding that “there was no reason for them to approach it as a tactical situation instead of a mental health crisis.”
Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said, however, that responding officers “didn’t have time to plan anything less than lethal.”
Regardless, Kent Taylor’s relationship with AI might have changed over time. Reportedly, he used AI to craft his son’s son’s obituary.
“I had talked to it for a while about what had happened, trying to find more details about exactly what he was going through,” Kent told The Times. “And it was beautiful and touching. It was like it read my heart and it scared the shit out of me.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline​. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.