France's Lucie chatbot tells people to eat cow's eggs
Occurred: January 2025
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An AI chatbot backed by the French government was taken offline shortly after its launch due to a series of nonsensical responses, including suggesting that people should eat "cow's eggs."
What happened
Launched on January 23, 2025, Lucie quickly garnered criticism for its absurd outputs, with users reporting that when asked about cow's eggs, the bot incorrectly claimed they were produced by cows and were a source of protein.ย
Additionally, it miscalculated basic math problems, such as answering 5ร(3+2) with 17 instead of the correct 25.
The chatbot's inability to provide accurate information led to widespread ridicule on social media, prompting the Linagora Group to disable public access three days after its launch.
Why it happened
The rapid backlash stemmed from Lucie's premature launch as an academic research initiative without adequate testing or communication regarding its limitations.ย
Linagora admitted they were "swept away by excitement" and failed to prepare for public scrutiny.ย
The project aimed to provide a French alternative to dominant AI models like ChatGPT but was not equipped with necessary safeguards against generating nonsensical or inappropriate content.
What it means
The fracas underscores the importance of the rigorous testing of AI systems, not least when government-backed projects are involved.
More broadly, it is seen to reflect poorly on France's ambitions in the AI sector and raises questions about the readiness of such technologies for public use.
Operator:ย
Developer: Linagora Group
Country: France
Sector: Multiple
Purpose: General purpose
Technology: Chatbot; Generative AI; Machine learning
Issue: Accuracy/reliability
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Type: Issue
Published: January 2025