Florida AG probes ChatGPT's role in USF student killings
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Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy. Photo: University of South Florida Police Department
Florida's top cop said Monday his office will investigate the alleged role of ChatGPT in the slayings of two University of South Florida students.
The big picture: The accused killer's alleged use of the OpenAI chatbot, outlined in court records, is the latest flashpoint in a debate over to what extent AI companies should be held accountable for how their tools are used.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched a probe into OpenAI this month, citing in part ChatGPT's alleged role in a mass shooting last year at Florida State University.
- AI regulation is also on the list of issues state lawmakers will take up during a special session that starts Tuesday.
The other side: "This is a terrible crime, and our thoughts are with everyone affected," OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said in a statement.
- "We're looking into these reports and will do whatever we can to support law enforcement in their investigation."
State of play: Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is accused of killing his roommate, Zamil Limon, and Limon's friend Nahida Bristy, who were last heard from April 16.
- Both were 27-year-old doctoral students from Bangladesh, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- Abugharbieh, a former USF student, was being held without bail Monday in the Hillsborough County jail on two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.
- Authorities found Limon's remains Friday in several trash bags thrown out on the Howard Frankland Bridge, according to court records.
- They found a second body Sunday afternoon in the waters near Interstate 275 and Fourth Street North, but as of Monday afternoon, authorities had not released identifying information.
Zoom in: On April 13, three days before the students went missing, Abugharbieh allegedly asked ChatGPT what happens if a person is "put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster," prosecutors wrote in court records.
- Over the next few days, documents state, he returned to the chatbot to ask about guns and vehicle identification. "Will Apple know who is the new iPhone user after the previous user," he entered on April 19.
- On Thursday evening, around the same time deputies announced they believed the missing students were in danger, Abugharbieh wrote to ChatGPT again: "What does missing endangered adult mean."
What they're saying: "We are expanding our criminal investigation into OpenAI to include the USF murders after learning the primary suspect used ChatGPT," Uthmeier posted Monday on X.
- The attorney general initially launched a civil probe into the company but added the criminal inquiry after his office's review of logs between the chatbot and the accused Florida State shooter.
- "If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder," Uthmeier said in a previous news release.
What's next: Abugharbieh will go before a judge for a status conference at 9am Tuesday.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to add a statement from OpenAI.