Las Vegas – Authorities revealed on Tuesday that the driver of a Tesla Cybertruck, which exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day, used the popular AI tool ChatGPT to help plan the attack.
Investigators disclosed that the suspect, Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty Army soldier from Colorado Springs, utilized the chatbot to calculate the amount of explosives required for the blast. Livelsberger, who was found dead inside the vehicle, is believed to have acted alone in what officials have determined to be a suicide.
This incident marks the first known case in the United States where ChatGPT was reportedly used in the construction of an explosive device, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill, speaking at a press conference, emphasized the suspect's use of artificial intelligence in planning the attack. "We now have clear evidence that the suspect relied on ChatGPT to gather information for this tragic act," McMahill stated.
The event has reignited debates about the potential misuse of AI technologies. Critics have long warned of the risks posed by tools like ChatGPT in enabling harmful activities.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, responded to the revelations by reiterating its commitment to responsible AI use. The company emphasized that its models are programmed to reject harmful requests and that any information provided in this case was already publicly accessible on the internet. "ChatGPT includes safeguards to prevent illegal or harmful guidance," an OpenAI spokesperson said.
The FBI and local authorities continue to investigate the incident, which has added fuel to discussions around the regulation and oversight of artificial intelligence in preventing misuse.
