SEPTEMBER 24–After a Missouri collegian confessed to a 17-vehicle vandalism spree in text exchanges with ChatGPT, the AI program acted as a digital accomplice after the fact, providing “damage control” advice so that the suspect could “minimize any chance of getting connected” to the crimes, according to chat transcripts.
During a drunken 3 AM rampage, Ryan Schaefer, 20, last year damaged numerous vehicles in a Missouri State University parking lot after leaving an off-campus party. He shattered windshields, dented hoods, and broke side mirrors and windshield wipers.
Schaefer (seen above) eventually pleaded guilty to a felony property damage count and was recently sentenced to five years probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. Additionally, a judge barred him from consuming alcohol while on probation and implemented a 10 PM to 6 AM curfew.
As detailed in these pages, a Springfield Police Department report revealed that the MSU student–10 minutes after vandalizing the cars–began an hour-long ChatGPT session during which he copped to the crime, asked about the possibility of getting caught, and wondered, “is there any way they could know it was me.” Cops discovered the chat session after Schaefer handed over his iPhone and password.
While the police report included a multitude of Schaefer’s incriminating statements, the ChatGPT replies were only described as “tips about the potential outcome of getting caught or being involved in this kind of behavior.”
https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/chatgpt-transcript-178592
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