🔚 AI to Be Added to a "Euthanasia Pod"

Dr. Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the Double Dutch pod, plans to include an "AI psychiatrist" to evaluate users' mental capacity. Nitschke emphasizes that his goal is to reduce legal risks for people accompanying the individual and that he doesn't intend to promote the technology on a large scale.

The previous version of the capsule, the Sarco Pod, was used only once, in September 2024, in Switzerland. A 64-year-old woman voluntarily lay inside the device and activated it by pressing a button; the capsule filled with nitrogen. Following the incident, police detained representatives of the Last Resort organization who had accompanied her. Still, two months later, they were released without charges.

In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal (the formal difference from euthanasia is that the "final step" is still carried out by the individual), but the law requires mental capacity at the moment the decision is made. This should be documented after two consultations with a psychiatrist.

In Double Dutch, the AI will partially take over this function. If neither person activates the capsule within 24 hours, they must repeat the assessment. The capsule now supports two people, and both must press the button at the same time to activate it.

It is yet unclear whether the government will approve such AI use.

Can AI make decisions like this?

🤔 — yes, if trained by professionals
🔥 — no, that's too much

@hiaimediaen