LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Fan or hate mail is typical following a popular television news segment, but one viewer has Las Vegas police’s attention after mailing a bloodied pig’s head and a letter in response to an AI story.
Blake Owens, CEO of Agrippa, said he was not expecting someone to mail him a dead animal on July 29, but the letter attached helped him form a theory. The bloody pig’s head appeared to be prompted by an 8 News Now interview filmed in June about his use of AI for a real estate deal.
“Perhaps this person watched too much of The Godfather,” Owens said. “Needless to say, I still take it very seriously, but don’t feel like I’m being truly threatened. It was a message.”
The box appeared to have been mailed in by someone who is possibly worried about losing their job to artificial intelligence, according to Owens. The sender wrote a letter to Owens saying in part, “’AI’ is not going to replace brokers. Clearly, you don’t understand real estate was built by developer or investors.”
Owens said his interest is in helping people—like those in commercial real estate—embrace tools like AI, not use it to replace humans. He cited a Winston Churchill quote in support of his point…