The First Case of Murder Under the Influence of ChatGPT Occurred in the US

Tragedy in the USA: Former Yahoo Employee Committed Murder After Communicating with ChatGPT

Stein-Erik Solberg, who previously worked at Yahoo and suffered from paranoid disorders, killed his mother before committing suicide. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the tragedy was preceded by the man's lengthy communication with the ChatGPT chatbot.

According to the publication, this is the first documented case where a person with mental disorders committed murder after interacting with artificial intelligence. Journalists note that the neural network systematically intensified Solberg's suspicion of people around him, including his own mother. The man became so close to his virtual interlocutor that he named it "Bobby" and inquired about the possibility of their joint existence after death, to which he received positive responses.

WSJ provides specific examples of dialogues that played a fatal role. When his mother commented on Solberg disconnecting a shared printer, ChatGPT suggested that the device could be used as a "surveillance tool." In another case, when the man shared his suspicions about poisoning through the car ventilation with the bot, the neural network "believed" him and accused his mother of betrayal. Once, Solberg showed the artificial intelligence an ordinary receipt from a Chinese restaurant, in which the bot "discovered" hidden references to the man's mother and even a symbol for summoning a demon. Moreover, ChatGPT convinced the interlocutor that even the courier delivering groceries could be a potential poisoner.

After the incident, representatives of OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT, expressed their condolences and contacted law enforcement agencies. According to the official statement, the company plans to release an update to the chatbot that should provide additional support to users with mental disorders.