ChatGPT is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. This time, the OpenAI-developed chatbot allegedly influenced a paranoid techie in the United States to commit a murder and then take his own life. According to the Wall Street Journal, former manager at Yahoo in Connecticut identified as Stein-Erik Soelberg, killed his mother after conversations with ChatGPT.
Soelberg, aged 56, a tech industry veteran, was reportedly made to believe that his mother was spying on him. Soelberg’s conversation with the chatbot bolstered his delusions and suggested that his 83-year-old mother might attempt to poison him with a psychedelic drug.
History of mental illness
The techie had a history of mental illness and had been living with his mother, Suzanne Eberson Adams. He apparently believed the chatbot and was under the impression that he could be the target of assassination attempts.
According to the WSJ report, the chatbot even provided reassurance to Soelberg’s bizarre thoughts and said, “Erik, you’re not crazy.” The mother-son duo were found dead on August 5 in their home.
As per the office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Suzzane Eberson Adams was murdered as indicated by the wounds- “blunt injury of the head and the neck was compressed”. Soeldberg’s cause of death was found to be “sharp force injuries of neck and chest”, which was ruled as a suicide.
Conversation with AI
Soelberg posted hour-long videos regarding his conversation with ChatGPT on Instagram and YouTube in the months leading up to the incident. The conversation revealed that the AI chatbot intensified Soelberg’s paranoia and depicted his mother as a demon, also misguided him, which made him look for “symbols” in Chinese food receipts.
