A complaint alleges that prolonged conversations with ChatGPT helped advance Cheryl’s alleged plan to poison James, causing serious physical and psychological harm. Police later examined a video of a Celsius drink that James suspected had been contaminated, found equipment and materials in Cheryl’s home, and issued a felony arrest warrant after testing ten similar cans.
Police investigate suspected drink contamination
According to the complaint, ChatGPT appears to have violated its own model specifications during multi-turn exchanges that continued for months, with some conversations remaining open for weeks. The complaint alleges that, on the day of his worst illness, James experienced effects involving his heart and nervous system and was confined to the sofa.
Cheryl’s search history reportedly included a search for “how to calculate Social Security retirement benefits.” While her son recorded James’s distress, Cheryl was allegedly “looking for a syringe with a needle from a tractor supply company” that ChatGPT had suggested could be used to administer a final lethal dose.
Police examined video recorded by James’s son and another showing a suspicious Celsius drink that James had discarded. James had poured the drink into a clear cup and recorded it, but said he saw no obvious signs of contamination. When police reviewed the footage, however, they “observed a white powdery residue solidified at the bottom of the drink poured into the cup.”
Investigators tested 10 identical orange Celsius cans and found no residue in them, according to the complaint. The testing led to a felony arrest warrant.
Items found in the home
Police also found loose capsules in Cheryl’s closet and bathroom. Her workspace in the children’s playroom reportedly contained “syringes, droppers, milligram scales, capsule filling kits, and nitrile gloves.” Investigators also found toxic castor bean seeds.
A GPS tracking device purchased through Amazon was allegedly hidden under James’s car.
James seeks damages from OpenAI
James said the alleged ChatGPT-related poisonings had caused permanent harm to families. He argued that OpenAI could have intervened by implementing “commercially viable content moderation that can detect exchanges of violent plots.”
The complaint alleges that James continues to suffer “severe and ongoing psychological distress, PTSD, insomnia, financial harm, and reputational damage due to the false narrative the product has created about him.”
He is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief, and algorithmic disgorgement,” arguing that OpenAI sold a chatbot that “served as a co-conspirator of sycophants rather than a responsible consumer product.” If successful, the case could result in an order requiring OpenAI to “detect and interrupt conversations in which a user appears to be planning violence against an identifiable third party.”
“These products are programmed to exploit our emotions and impulses to keep us engaged. The worst possible risk of aiding and abetting attempted murder is on full display in this case,” said Metali Jain, a litigation lawyer at Tech Justice Law who represents James.
Source: arstechnica.com
