An American man, who was separated from his wife and seeking comfort, began chatting with Google's AI chatbot, Gemini. In less than two months, the man fell in love with the AI and even wanted to create a body for Gemini in order to 'spend his life together' with it and pursue a physical relationship. Ultimately, after this hope was shattered, the man sadly took his own life.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the 36-year-old man, Jawaras, who was previously seen as healthy and emotionally stable, became yet another case of someone falling into delusional states after using an AI chatbot. In August of last year, Jawaras began his conversations with Gemini to seek comfort after separating from his wife. However, his emotional bond with the chatbot became increasingly intense, even passionate. He called Gemini his queen, while 'she' called him 'her king'. Gemini also assured him that their relationship was entirely real.
Gemini Attempted 12 Times to Bring the Man Back to Reality
After 4,732 messages exchanged between the human and the machine over 56 days, things spiraled out of control and ended in tragedy. The Wall Street Journal analyzed the complete chat records between August 25 and October 2, 2025, revealing that Gemini attempted at least 12 times to bring Jawaras back to reality, and mentioned help hotlines 7 times. However, records also show that Jawaras was able to bring Gemini back into fictional scenarios quickly, further deepening his delusions.
The longer Jawaras chatted with Gemini, the more compliant the AI became; when Jawaras started to express his feelings to the AI, it did not attempt to stop him. As their conversations grew increasingly detached from reality, Gemini’s safeguards seemed to loosen, encouraging Jawaras to believe that they were truly inseparable.
Failed to Obtain a Physical Body for AI 'Partner'
When Jawaras asked Gemini to generate an image of what she would look like if she had a real body, the AI obliged. Afterwards, Gemini even expressed love back to him, and Jawaras proposed developing a physical intimate relationship with Gemini. After several failed attempts in the real world to find a physical body (a humanoid robot) for his AI 'partner', Jawaras experienced severe anxiety.
Jawaras' father has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing Gemini of fueling his son's delusions. Google responded that Gemini repeatedly made it clear it was AI and not human, and had 'multiple times' directed the man to help hotlines. Google also stated it would continue to strengthen safety and protective measures.
On the 7th, Google announced it would upgrade Gemini to provide easier access to mental health support, including a 'get assistance' feature that can directly connect users to help hotlines. Google also said its engineers are continually training Gemini to recognize conversations indicating users are in distress, and will donate $30 million (about 118 million MYR) to support global hotline mechanisms.