The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has revealed that the suspect involved in the deadly explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel on January 1, 2025, utilized the AI chatbot ChatGPT to plan the attack.
The explosion, which occurred at the hotel’s entrance, resulted in one fatality and left seven others injured.
Authorities later identified the deceased as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty soldier from Colorado Springs.
While the FBI has suggested the incident may have been a suicide, noting that Livelsberger, a former Trump supporter, showed no ill will toward the president-elect, they also speculated that he might have been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
In a Tuesday press conference, Las Vegas Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that evidence points to the use of ChatGPT by the suspect in the planning of the attack. McMahill noted that this marks the first known case in the U.S. where the AI chatbot was employed to assist in creating a device for an assault.
“We have clear evidence that the suspect used ChatGPT to help plan the attack,” McMahill said. “This is the first incident that I am aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT was used in such a manner.”
In response to the news, OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT, issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to ethical usage of its technology. The company also pledged full cooperation with authorities in their investigation.
“ChatGPT responded with publicly available information and included warnings against harmful or illegal activities,” the statement read. “We are working closely with law enforcement to support their ongoing investigation.”
