In a first civil servant robot commits suicide

In a first of its kind incident, a civil servant robot has committed suicide in South Korea after apparently deliberately plunging down a two-meter staircase.

Following the incident, the robot at Gumi City Council in was found unresponsive with social media users calling it the first “robot suicide”.

The robot was known as “Robot Supervisor,” had been a model employee since its appointment in August 2023.

“It was officially a part of the city hall, one of us,” an official said.

It was reported that the robot was a diligent worker and handled tasks affectively. The robot was appointed to handle daily document deliveries, city promotion, and information dissemination to local residents.

A witness reported that the robot was “circling in one spot as if something was there” before the incident.

Some experts have suggested that the robot may have experienced an emotional breakdown due to the stress of its workload, while others believe a technical malfunction could be to blame.

The exact circumstances leading to the robot’s apparent suicide are under investigation.

“Pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” the official said.