The FBI alerted Argentine authorities to a 15-year-old student who was allegedly using ChatGPT to plan a school massacre, a plot that federal agents were able to intercept. The FBI's involvement began after agents at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires detected multiple online searches made by the teen on the artificial intelligence chatbot.
Argentine officials were first notified by the FBI on August 15. The teen had reportedly used ChatGPT to outline an attack at his school in Quilmes, Argentina. Initially, he intended to carry out the massacre in 2027, but later consulted the AI again to inquire about accelerating the timeline to August.
Law enforcement in Argentina, alerted by the FBI's report to Interpol and the Argentine Federal Police, obtained a search warrant for the boy's home. During the search, authorities seized two cell phones, one of which was used as a computer, and a mask the student had worn in photographs. No firearms were recovered from the residence.
Quilmes prosecutor Alejandro de Mena told Infobae that the investigation has focused on the content of the seized mobile devices to determine if any third parties were involved. The teen's parents expressed shock when authorities arrived at their home. De Mena noted that while investigators have not found evidence of planned attacks at other schools, they are continuing to analyze the seized devices.
Due to the student being a minor, Argentine law prevents him from being formally charged or interrogated at this time, according to de Mena. The prosecutor stated that in this instance, authorities believe they were able to act before the potential crime could be committed.