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Investigators have discovered that the solider who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside of a Trump hotel on January 1 used the generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, to plan the attack.
Las Vegas police on Tuesday said that Matthew Livelsberger used ChatGPT to get more information. While his phone, laptop, and watch are still being looked into, it’s now come out that the veteran used OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot to gauge how fast ammunition would go, as well as whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
Livelsberger shot himself before the Cybertruck exploded, with his generative AI-planned attack dubbed a “game changer” by Las Vegas sheriff, Kevin McMahill.
In a statement, McMahill said that it’s “the first incident that I’m aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device.”
Las Vegas law enforcement is now sharing the information they’ve gathered with other agencies across the country and state.
AI like ChatGPT is unwittingly posing risks to its users
While ChatGPT has strict guardrails, it’s quite easy to manipulate the chatbot into giving answers. The software has zero context and understanding of why it is being asked these questions, so won’t stop when red flags are raised.
It’s unknown why Livelsberger decided to blow up a Tesla Cybertruck outside of the Trump hotel. According to police investigations, Livelsberger held a strong belief in Trump and wanted people to “rally around” the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk took the time after the attack to advertise that Tesla can unlock any door remotely. He also said the truck will be put back into commission once it’s returned to Tesla.
The battery pack never even caught fire and the tires are still inflated!
Once we get this Cybertruck back to Tesla, we’ll buff out the scratches and get it back on the road.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
Generative AI chatbots have come under fire for encouraging users to commit crimes and self-harm. In 2021, a user of Replika attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth after the chatbot pushed him towards it. This year, a mother is suing Character.ai for the death of her son, after he committed suicide due to conversations made with the AI on the app.
