Man used ChatGPT to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck blast
The man killed in the Las Vegas Cybertruck blast used ChatGPT to plan the explosion, police said.
In a press conference, Tuesday, Las Vegas police released more details of the intentions of 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, who died of a gunshot wound prior to the car exploding.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said it was concerning that Livelsberger used ChatGPT, a popular artificial intelligence model created by OpenAI, to carry out the explosion.
According to police, Livelsberger asked ChatGPT various questions, including where the largest gun stores in Denver were, information about the explosive targets Tannerite and pistols.
“We knew that AI was going to change the game at some point or another in really all of our lives and certainly, I think this is the first incidence that I’m aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device, to learn information all across the country as they’re moving forward,” McMahill said.
“And so, absolutely, it’s a concerning moment for us,” he continued.
Police also released excerpts of a six-page manifesto Livelsberger wrote.
In it, he made various points about “political and social and cultural issues” and criticisms of the Biden administration and Democratic Party.
He detailed how traveling for the planned explosion would be challenging with Tesla’s charging stations and drug and alcohol use in the days leading up to it.
Livelsberger also wrote about his service in the Army in Afghanistan and how he was living with graphic encounters in his mind.
“I am now a shell of a human being with nothing to live for, it has all been taken away by my affiliations,” he wrote.
Police said Livelsberger had no intention of killing another person, but the fireworks and explosives in the truck were meant to cause a public spectacle.
Seven other people were injured in the blast on New Year’s Day.
Police are still working through the investigation and say they do not know yet why Livelsberger decided to have the explosion happen at President-elect Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas.
In a statement to The Hill, OpenAI said it was saddened to learn of the incident. The company said it is committed to seeing AI tools used responsibly.
“Our models are designed to refuse harmful instructions and minimize harmful content,” the company’s statement said.
“In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities.”
OpenAI said it is working with law enforcement to support the ongoing investigation.
Updated at 6:47 p.m. ET.
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