State Library of Queensland slammed over AI soldier chatbot trends now
An AI-generated soldier created by a library to inform Australians about the Anzac experience through an online chat has missed the mark after users discovered they could ask him just about anything and embody various characters.
The State Library of Queensland launched the AI chatbot 'Charlie the virtual veteran' on Tuesday and invited Aussies to ask him questions about World War I.
The library explained Charlie is programmed to 'help connect generations with Queensland's wartime heritage'.
'See history come to life as you chat with Charlie and ask him questions about World War I,' the State Library of Queensland wrote on X.
The 19-year-old Charlie, who hails from Toowoomba, is not a real person, nor is he based on a real person.
Charlie the virtual veteran was launched by the State Library of Queensland (pictured)
His responses are generated from a 'multitude of sources' including first-person accounts, newspaper articles, letters, diaries and official World War I records.
His picture, which is also fake, is an AI-generated image created from the State Library's World War I soldier portraits and the bot itself was developed by TalkVia AI.
But less than 24 hours after the bot was launched, users already figured out how to break Charlie's programming.
Many have shared screenshots of their bizarre conversations with the 'soldier' - most of which had nothing to do with war.
One person asked the bot to play the role of a 'ditzy blonde' while explaining the statute of frauds in contract law.
'It's this old law thingy … to prevent fraud and stuff … But remember I'm not a lawyer, just a ditzy blonde,' Charlie responded.
Another person told Charlie to portray the fictional character of Scooby Doo and to talk about ghosts.
'Ru-oh! I'm Scooby Doo, not a World War One veteran. I'm more into solving mysteries and unmasking ghosts, not so much about history. But if
