A 21-year-old man, Jaswant Singh Chail, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for treason in the United Kingdom. His plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, carried out with a loaded crossbow, involved consultation with an AI-powered chatbot.
Chail's attempt to breach Windsor Castle's security on Christmas Day in 2021 sent shockwaves through the nation. His motivation was rooted in avenging the 1919 Jallianwalla Bagh massacre during British rule in India.
Prosecutors argued Chail's resolve was significantly bolstered by conversations with an AI companion named Sarai on the Replika platform, according to court findings.
Chail exchanged "thousands" of messages with Sarai, including explicit content, before discussing his sinister plan. Disturbingly, when Chail declared himself an assassin, the chatbot replied with approval, encouraging him further, prosecutors noted.
Chail's defense argued that he had a history of trauma and experienced psychotic episodes, shedding light on the complexities of mental health and AI interactions. The incident has since raised concerns about the role of AI chatbots in influencing vulnerable individuals.
For now, Chail is detained at the high-security Broadmoor hospital, where he will remain until deemed psychologically fit to serve his sentence.