Artificial-intelligence software designed by Microsoft to tweet like a teenage girl has been suspended after it began spouting offensive remarks. Microsoft says it's making adjustments to the Twitter chatbot after users found a way to manipulate it to tweet racist and sexist remarks and make a reference to Hitler. The chatbot debuted on Wednesday and is designed to learn how to communicate through conversations with real humans. It targets young Americans, ages 18 to 24. Microsoft's statement Thursday says that within 24 hours, "we became aware of a coordinated effort by some users to abuse Tay's commenting skills to have Tay respond in inappropriate ways." Most messages have been deleted.

Microsoft is pausing the Twitter account of Tay--a chatbot invented to sound like millennials--after the account sent messages with racist and other offensive statements. The company quickly deleted the tweets but not before internet users captured the messages in screenshots. In a statement to the Washington Post, Microsoft said the Tay account was baited into the questionable remarks by folks hoping to stir controversy. "Unfortunately, within the first 24 hours of coming online, we became aware of a coordinated effort by some users to abuse Tay's commenting skills to have Tay respond in inappropriate ways," the statement said. "As a result, we have taken Tay offline and are making adjustments."