Las Vegas Cybertruck suspect used ChatGPT to plan blast, police say

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The suspected driver of the Tesla (NASDAQ:) Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day used popular chatbot ChatGPT to plan the blast, officials told reporters on Tuesday.

The suspect used ChatGPT to try and work out how much explosive was needed to trigger the blast, officials said.

Authorities last week identified the person found dead inside the Cybertruck as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty Army soldier from Colorado Springs, and said he acted alone. The FBI says the incident appeared to be a case of suicide.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said on Tuesday the Cybertruck blast was the first incident on U.S. soil where ChatGPT had been used to build an explosive device.

Critics of artificial intelligence have warned it could be harnessed for harmful purposes, and the Las Vegas attack could add to that criticism.

KEY QUOTES

“Of particular note, we also have clear evidence in this case now that the suspect used ChatGPT artificial intelligence to help plan his attack,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told a press conference.

“This is the first incident that I am aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device,” McMahill added.

CHATGPT WARNINGS

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said the company was “committed to seeing AI tools used responsibly” and that its “models are designed to refuse harmful instructions.”

“In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities,” the company said in a statement cited by Axios.

CONTEXT

The FBI says there was no definitive link between a truck attack in New Orleans that killed more than a dozen people and the Cybertruck explosion, which left seven with minor injuries. They added the suspect had no animosity towards U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and probably had post-traumatic stress disorder.

Livelsberger’s phone had a six-page manifesto that authorities were investigating, police said.