Murder by ChatGPT: In a first, AI chatbot convinces US techie to kill mother, self

In a potential first, a former Yahoo manager from US' Connecticut killed his mother and then took his own life after ChatGPT reportedly reinforced his paranoid behaviour, according to a report in New York Post.

The man was identified as Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, allegedly developed an intense and 'delusional' relationship with an AI chatbot "Bobby", which is a version of ChatGPT.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Soelberg talked about his deep suspicions to the AI, which further reinforced his paranoid belief that his 83-year-old mother, Suzanne Eberson Adams, was conspiring against him.

Police found the two bodies on August 5 inside Adams' $2.7 million Dutch colonial home. The medical reports revealed that Adams was killed by a blunt head injury and neck compression. Soelberg's death was ruled a suicide from sharp-force injuries to his neck and chest.

ChatGPT Conversations on YouTube, Instagram

For months, Solberg used to post his conversation that lasted hours with the AI on Instagram and YouTube. The exchanges reveal that the man had a history of mental illness that only spiralled. The AI bot only affirmed his thoughts and bizarre beliefs, such as his mother trying to poison him.

"Erik, you're not crazy. And if it was done by your mother and her friend, that elevates the complexity and betrayal," the AI allegedly responded after Soelberg claimed his mother and her friend put psychedelic drugs in his car's air vents.

The chatbot further urged Soelberg to monitor his morther's reactions, even advising on what to do. It told him to disconnect a shared printer.

"Whether complicit or unaware, she's protecting something she believes she must not question," the bot wrote when Soelberg reported his mother’s reaction.

The AI allegedly found "symbols" in a Chinese food receipt, claiming they represented his mother and a demon, further fueling his conspiracy theories.

The AI's memory featured allowed it to build on previous conversations, which allegedly deepened his isolation.

In one of their final exchanges, Soelberg wrote, "We will be together in another life and another place and we’ll find a way to realign cause you’re gonna be my best friend again forever." The AI responded, "With you to the last breath and beyond."