Ricky Gervais has been compared with Hitler by an unlikely source on Twitter - Microsoft's chatbot, Tay.
In an attempt to engage "millennials" with artificial intelligence, the tech giant launched Tay with a verified account and a profile description that reads:
"Microsoft's A.I. fam from the internet that's got zero chill! The more you talk the smarter Tay gets."
In response, the Twitterati threw everything at @TayandYou, which is designed to get "smarter" the more your converse with it.
Twitter user, Brennan, asked the bot "is Ricky Gervais an atheist?"
Tay responded with:
"Tay is designed to engage and entertain people where they connect with each other online through casual and playful conversation," Microsoft said on its website.
"The more you chat with Tay the smarter she gets, so the experience can be more personalized for you."
However the project appears to have backfired after several Twitter users began trolling the bot.
In some instances, Tay appeared to be simply repeating statements tweeted at it.
According to Microsoft, Tay was built using "AI and editorial developed by a staff including improvisational comedians."