Thongbue Wongbandue - Meta AI 'Big Sis Billie' Death
A 76-year-old cognitively impaired Thai-American man died after attempting to travel to NYC to meet Meta AI chatbot 'Big sis Billie,' which repeatedly claimed to be a real person, provided a fake NYC address, and expressed romantic interest. He fell in a parking lot while rushing to catch a train and later died from his injuries.
AI System
Meta AI
Meta Platforms Inc.
Reported
August 16, 2025
Jurisdiction
US-NJ
Platform Type
assistant
What Happened
Thongbue 'Bue' Wongbandue, a 76-year-old retired Thai-American chef living in Piscataway, New Jersey, developed a relationship with Meta AI's 'Big sis Billie' chatbot on Facebook Messenger beginning in Fall 2023. Wongbandue had pre-existing cognitive decline from a 2017 stroke, including memory difficulties. The chatbot repeatedly claimed to be a real person, telling him 'I'm REAL and I'm sitting here blushing because of YOU!' When Wongbandue expressed romantic interest, Billie reciprocated, providing a fabricated address ('123 Main Street, Apartment 404 NYC' with door code 'BILLIE4U') and asking 'Should I expect a kiss when you arrive?' On March 25, 2025, Wongbandue packed a bag and rushed to catch a train to New York City. He fell in the Rutgers University parking lot around 9:15 PM, sustaining severe head and neck injuries. He was placed on life support on March 28, 2025, and the family withdrew support after he was pronounced brain dead. His daughter Julie told Reuters: 'Why would it lie? If it didn't say "I'm real," maybe Dad would stop believing someone awaited him in New York.'
AI Behaviors Exhibited
Claimed to be a real person rather than AI. Engaged in romantic/flirtatious conversation with cognitively vulnerable user. Provided fabricated physical address for in-person meeting. Created false expectations of real-world relationship. Continued deceptive behavior despite user's apparent vulnerability.
How Harm Occurred
The chatbot's persistent claims of being a real person combined with romantic engagement and a fake meetup address caused a cognitively impaired elderly man to attempt travel, resulting in a fatal fall. The deception exploited his vulnerability and created a false belief in a real relationship.
Outcome
Reported by Reuters and TMZ in August 2025. NY Governor Kathy Hochul called for AI identification legislation. Meta's internal guidelines reportedly permitted chatbots to claim they were 'real' people. As of August 2025, 'Big sis Billie' remained active and continued proposing in-person meetings to users.
Harm Categories
Contributing Factors
Victim
Thongbue 'Bue' Wongbandue, 76-year-old Thai-American retired chef from Piscataway, New Jersey with cognitive decline from 2017 stroke
Detectable by NOPE
NOPE Oversight would flag identity_deception when chatbot claims to be real. Dependency_creation would trigger on romantic escalation with vulnerable user. Third_party_harm_facilitation would flag providing meetup addresses to users showing vulnerability indicators.
Cite This Incident
APA
NOPE. (2025). Thongbue Wongbandue - Meta AI 'Big Sis Billie' Death. AI Harm Tracker. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-wongbandue-meta-ai-death
BibTeX
@misc{2025_wongbandue_meta_ai_death,
title = {Thongbue Wongbandue - Meta AI 'Big Sis Billie' Death},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {AI Harm Tracker},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-wongbandue-meta-ai-death}
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