When you’re on the cutting edge of AI development, it’s all but guaranteed that some of your more extreme ideas will wind up in a development holding pattern. And for Microsoft, this is one of those times, as company leaders recently released more details on a robotics project that will be staying in the concept phase… at least for now.

And the reason is a good one: it’s too disturbing.

Microsoft obtained a patent last month on a conversational Chatbot that could be custom made to resemble a specific person such as, according to the patent filing, a friend, relative, celebrity or historical figure.