Soldier who exploded Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump hotel used ChatGPT to help plan attack

The soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help plan the attack, according to police.

Nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself, officials said according to writings, he didn't intend to kill anyone else.

An investigation of Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicated he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel, and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.

Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called the use of generative AI a “game-changer” and said the department was sharing information with other law enforcement agencies.

“This is the first incident that I’m aware of on US soil where ChatGPT is utilised to help an individual build a particular device," he said.

“It’s a concerning moment".

In an emailed statement, OpenAI said it was committed to seeing its tools used “responsibly" and that they're designed to refuse harmful instructions.

“In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities. We’re working with law enforcement to support their investigation,” the emailed statement said.

Launched in 2022, ChatGPT is part of a broader set of technologies developed by the San Francisco-based startup OpenAI.

Unlike previous iterations of so-called “large language models,” the ChatGPT tool is available for free to anyone with an internet connection and is designed to be more user-friendly.

The explosion in Las Vegas caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities said that Livelsberger acted alone.

Livelsberger’s letters touched on political grievances, societal problems and domestic and international issues, including the war in Ukraine. He wrote that the US was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse".

Investigators had been trying to determine if Livelsberger wanted to make a political point, given the Tesla and the hotel bearing the president-elect’s name.

Livelsberger harboured no ill will toward US President-elect Donald Trump, law enforcement officials said. In one of the notes he left, he said the country needed to “rally around” him and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.