{
  "id": 222565,
  "title": "We Talked to the Guy Who Built a Chatbot That’s Just Him Manually Responding to People One-by-One",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/we-talked-to-the-guy-who-built-a-chatbot-thats-just-him-manually",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-06T13:38:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/guy-chatbot-manually-responding-chatjtb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On July 27, a billboard appeared in San Francisco advertising an AI service called ChatTJB. However, the \"AI\" behind the service is not artificial intelligence at all, but a self-described \"average individual\" named Tucker Bryant. He manually answers user queries through a chatbot-like interface. Bryant, a former Google employee and now an artist and speaker, created the project as a satirical response to the phenomenon of people blindly trusting AI chatbots, even when they provide incorrect answers. He wanted to infuse inconvenience and unpredictability into a chatbot-like experience, in order to remind users of the importance of critical thinking and creativity when interacting with AI. The project started off slowly, but gained significant attention when a picture of the billboard went viral online, leading to a surge of inquiries. Despite receiving requests from trolls, Bryant also received surprisingly sincere and even moving messages from users seeking advice or support. He has also received over a thousand messages from individuals interested in helping moderate the platform.",
  "summary": "\"I tend to overcommit to bits.\" The post We Talked to the Guy Who Built a Chatbot That’s Just Him Manually Responding to People One-by-One appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [
    "Billboard in San Francisco advertised ChatTJB, not AI.",
    "Tucker Bryant manually answers queries, not AI.",
    "Project aims to highlight AI trust issues and critical thinking."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}