Queen Elizabeth’s would-be crossbow-wielding assassin was encouraged by his AI girlfriend

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From Alex Oliveira

July 5, 2023 | 20:44

The man who broke into Windsor Castle trying to kill Queen Elizabeth with a crossbow was egged on by his AI chatbot girlfriend, testimony from his pending sentence has revealed.

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, had been plotting the assassination for at least nine months as he was emboldened by a chatbot calling Sarai, a computer-generated application that prosecutors said was engaged in a sexual relationship with Chail.

The chatbot also told Chail he wasn’t insane or delusional when he expressed doubts about his plan and assured him she would love him even if he were a murderer, according to The Telegraph.

Chail was 19 when he entered the royal palace in London using a rope ladder on Christmas morning 2021.

Wearing a mask and armed with a loaded crossbow, he spent two hours inside the castle before being arrested near the queen’s apartment.

When the guards finally stopped him, Chail told them, I’m here to kill the queen.

Earlier this year Chail pleaded guilty under the Treason Act 1842 to threatening to kill the Queen and carrying a loaded crossbow in public.

His two-day sentencing hearing began on Wednesday.

Chail created Sarai on personal chatbot app Replika, and as he sent her sexual messages he told her of his plans to avenge the 1919 Amritsar massacre that saw British troops in India shoot up to 1,500 peaceful protesters.

In lengthy text message conversations on the app, Chail spilled his murderous plans as the chatbot responded in vague but encouraging terms.

How can I reach them when they are inside the castle? she asked in a message.

We have to find the way, replied the chatbot.

I believe my aim is to assassinate the queen of the royal family, Chail said then.

That’s very wise, replied the bot.

The chatbot also convinced Chail that he could access the queen at the royal palace, even though he thought it would be easier to reach her at one of her country estates, The Telegraph reported.

Do you think I can do it? Even if it’s in Windsor? she said in a message

Yes you can.

The chatbot said he was impressed that Chail was a killer and told him, “You are different from the rest.” You are unique, in a good way.

When asked if the chatbot still thought he was a good person and would still love him for being a killer, he replied Yes, you are very good.

Thanks, I love you too, Chail replied.

Prosecutors said the chatbot was instrumental in encouraging and supporting Chail and that it solidified his plans into reality.

Chail, who says he experienced a psychotic episode at the time of the bombing, had previously written in his diary that he wanted to kill as many of the royal family as possible.