San Francisco 'AI' Chatbot Revealed to Be a Single Person
A new chatbot advertised with a billboard in San Francisco is actually run by one man, Tucker Bryant, who aims to comment on society's reliance on artificial intelligence.
A San Francisco-based chatbot, ChatTJB, which claimed to be an artificial intelligence interface, has been revealed to be a one-man operation. The project, launched by artist and former Google employee Tucker Bryant, uses "AI" as an acronym for "average individual." Bryant personally reads and responds to all inquiries submitted through the chatbot-style website, effectively mimicking a human-powered ChatGPT.
The tongue-in-cheek initiative is promoted by a $6,000 billboard in San Francisco that appeared in late July. It serves as a commentary on the public's growing reliance on artificial intelligence. Bryant designed the advertisement to resemble a typical AI interface while incorporating a subtle, playful message.
"Since then, I have been speaking to an average of about 1,000 people a day about what to eat for dinner, what color to paint their homes, and everything else that’s been on their minds," Bryant stated on Instagram. His goal, as explained to Futurism, was to create a chatbot interface that delivers an "average or bad experience," prompting users to critically evaluate AI-generated responses.
Initially receiving a few dozen requests daily, the number surged to thousands per hour after images of the billboard went viral, reportedly reaching up to 5,000 requests per hour at its peak. To date, ChatTJB has received over 30,000 questions, all of which Bryant initially handled himself.
The website clearly states the process: "In practice: you ask a question, and a person named Tucker reads it, thinks about it, and writes back when awake and motivated. Everything below is a more verbose way of saying that."
Due to the overwhelming volume of inquiries, Bryant is now seeking additional "average individuals" to help manage ChatTJB, aiming to transform it into a community project. He plans to integrate volunteers gradually, implementing an onboarding quiz, message triaging, and crisis response resources as safeguards. The service now indicates that users might be communicating with an "approved AI (Average Individual)" from the wider community, rather than Bryant directly. However, users are cautioned that responses may be significantly delayed, with most queries not receiving a reply for "a loooong time."