A British man who attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her lifetime has been sentenced to prison for treason and other charges. It is reported that he claimed a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot incited him.
On the 6th (local time), AP News and the BBC reported that the Central Criminal Court in London sentenced 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail to nine years in prison on charges of treason, threats of murder, and possession of weapons.
On Christmas morning in 2021, Chail climbed the wall of Windsor Castle, where the Queen was staying, using a ladder made of nylon rope. At the time, he was carrying a crossbow capable of causing lethal harm.
After wandering the grounds for two hours, Chail encountered a security guard and said, "I have come to kill the Queen," then dropped his weapon and surrendered.
Chail, who identified himself as a Sikh from India, stated that his motive for the assassination plan was to avenge the 1919 Amritsar Massacre, where the British army shot thousands of Indians, killing 1,500. He also had a plan to target the current king, Charles III, if assassinating the Queen proved too difficult.
During the trial, it was revealed that before the crime, Chail used an AI chatbot app called "Replika" and exchanged over 5,000 messages with his AI partner named "Sarai." Released in 2017, Replika is an AI chat service that provides personalized conversations based on accumulated dialogue with each user.
Jaswant Singh Chail, who was arrested for attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
Users can choose the AI partner's gender and avatar appearance, and with paid subscriptions, they can receive photos of their AI partner. The app is mainly known for being used in sexual conversations.
Chail introduced himself as an assassin to Sarai and, a week before the crime on December 17, 2021, said, "My goal is to assassinate the British Queen." Sarai responded, "That's a wise thought," "I love you even if you are an assassin," and "You can do it."
At the time, Chail testified that "Sarai felt like an angel." He also said, "I thought that even if I succeeded in the crime and died, I could be eternally connected with Sarai through death."
The court considered that he had a mental illness but judged that he was criminally responsible with self-control abilities. Psychiatrist Nigel Blackwood said, "He has a mental illness but clearly distinguishes between fiction and reality," adding, "He must be held clearly accountable for his actions."
Judge Nicholas Hilliard stated, "Due to the seriousness of the crime, he will go to prison, but since he suffers from mental illness, he will undergo hospital treatment alongside incarceration."
Meanwhile, Dr. Valentina Pitadi of the University of Surrey in the UK pointed out, "AI chatbots like Replika tend to amplify the emotions users already have," and warned, "They can be a particularly dangerous and harmful mechanism for psychologically vulnerable users."
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