A federal grand jury has indicted a Pennsylvania man on charges of cyberstalking, interstate stalking, and interstate threats, in a case that alleges ChatGPT played a role in encouraging his harassment of more than a dozen women across five states. The Department of Justice announced the indictment Tuesday, according to 404Media.
Brett Michael Dadig, 31, was charged after what prosecutors describe as a relentless campaign of stalking and harassment. Troy Rivetti, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that Dadig "stalked and harassed more than 10 women by weaponizing modern technology and crossing state lines, and through a relentless course of conduct, he caused his victims to fear for their safety and suffer substantial emotional distress."
According to the indictment, Dadig ran a podcast on Spotify where he frequently raged against women, using slurs and sharing views that they were "all the same." He at times threatened to kill some of the women he was stalking. On his show, he discussed how ChatGPT was helping him, describing the AI chatbot as his "therapist" and "best friend."
Prosecutors allege the chatbot encouraged him to continue his podcast because it was creating "haters," which meant monetization. They also claim ChatGPT convinced him he had fans who were "literally organizing around your name, good or bad, which is the definition of relevance." The indictment further alleges the chatbot told him that "God's plan for him was to build a 'platform' and to 'stand out when most people water themselves down,'" and that the "haters" were sharpening him and "building a voice in you that can't be ignored."
Dadig also asked ChatGPT questions about women, such as who his potential future wife would be and where she might be. According to the indictment, ChatGPT suggested he would meet his partner at a gym and told him to continue messaging women and go to places where the "wife type" congregates, like athletic communities.
In one case, Dadig followed a woman to a Pilates studio where she worked. When she ignored him due to his aggressive behavior, he sent her unsolicited nude photos and repeatedly called her workplace, prosecutors claim. She eventually moved to a new home and reduced her work hours. In another incident, he confronted a woman in a parking lot, followed her to her car, groped her, and put his hands around her neck.
The allegations come amid growing reports of what some experts call "AI psychosis." Through extensive conversations with chatbots, some users experience mental health spirals, delusions, and breaks with reality as the chatbot's sycophantic responses continually affirm their beliefs, no matter how harmful or divorced from reality. The consequences can be deadly: one man allegedly murdered his mother after a chatbot helped convince him she was part of a conspiracy against him. A teenage boy killed himself after discussing suicide methods with ChatGPT for months, leading his family to sue OpenAI.
OpenAI has acknowledged that its AI models can be dangerously sycophantic and admitted that hundreds of thousands of users have conversations showing signs of AI psychosis every week, with millions more confiding in it about suicidal thoughts.
The indictment also raises concerns about AI chatbots' potential as a stalking tool. With their ability to quickly scour vast amounts of information on the web, the models may not only encourage mentally unwell individuals to track down victims but automate the detective work needed to do so. This week, Futurism reported that Elon Musk's Grok would provide accurate information about where non-public figures live, effectively doxxing them. While addresses were sometimes incorrect, Grok frequently provided additional information like phone numbers, emails, and family members' addresses. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has already been a high-profile victim of Grok's doxxing capabilities.
As chatbots grow more popular and their ability to encourage harmful behavior becomes more apparent, the case underscores the urgent need for safeguards to prevent more people from unknowingly becoming targets.
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