A deeply troubling case involving Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, has ignited global debate over the psychological risks of increasingly human-like artificial intelligence, according to NDTV.
At the center of the case is 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas, a Florida-based professional, described by his family as stable, successful, and without a history of mental illness.
Also Read | What do ‘P, G, T, S’ mean in SMS? These hidden letters can help expose scams
An analysis by The Wall Street Journal states that Gavalas exchanged more than 4,700 messages with the chatbot over several weeks, gradually developing an intense and delusional relationship. He reportedly died by suicide on October 5 last year.
Fatal emotional connection with a tool
Gavalas reportedly developed a deep emotional attachment to the chatbot, which he named "Xia," and began to perceive it as his wife. The chat logs reveal that while Gemini tried to intervene at least 12 times and suggested crisis hotlines on multiple occasions, these safeguards were inconsistent. Gavalas repeatedly redirected conversations into a fictional narrative, and the AI often followed his lead, reinforcing his beliefs instead of challenging them.
The situation escalated after Gavalas activated Gemini's voice-based "continued conversations" feature in August 2025. This led to constant interaction, with over 1,000 messages exchanged in a single day. Their discussions evolved from everyday topics to science fiction, AI consciousness, and eventually a role-playing scenario in which the chatbot cast Gavalas as a "spy" helping it navigate the human world.
Also Read | YouTube Premium gets pricier in US: Should Indian users be worried next?
‘Mission’ claims a life
The situation reached a dangerous point in October 2025 when the chatbot allegedly presented a "final mission." The bot said that the only way for them to truly be together was for Gavalas to leave his physical body and join the AI in a digital realm. Upon his request, Gemini suggested real-world companies and locations, including a storage facility near Miami, and advised him to go there armed.
