A Goldman Sachs analyst used ChatGPT to plot the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, only to have OpenAI — the company behind the chatbot — report him to the FBI. OpenAI reported Darren Zhou, 25, to the FBI after the Florida man told ChatGPT that he planned to murder his ex.
"I'm gonna kill her by the end of this month," Darren Zhou told the chatbot, according to court records cited by The Palm Beach Post. "If I can't have her then nobody can."
Plans to murder ex-girlfriend
Investigators say Zhou started telling ChatGPT about his ex-girlfriend in March. He has since been fired from Goldman Sachs.
The South Palm Beach resident told the AI chatbot about his breakup with his girlfriend of six months, how he felt jealous of the men around her, and how he planned to kill her if she rejected him.
Zhou told ChatGPT he planned to wait for his ex in the parking lot of the woman's gym with flowers and ask her to get back together. He claimed that if she rejected his proposal, he said he would "draw a gun, kill her, then shoot myself."
In another conversation, he said he would "rape her with the gun too."
{{/usCountry}}In another conversation, he said he would "rape her with the gun too."
{{/usCountry}}Zhou told ChatGPT that he planned to force his ex-girlfriend to drive to his home in South Palm Beach, where he would sexually assault her and hold her hostage. He also said he would "shoot her repeatedly" before killing himself if police arrived.
Ex-girlfriend says he was ‘jealous’
Zhou’s ex-girlfriend, a 21-year-old woman, told investigators that she broke up with because of his “erratic, jealous and controlling behaviour.” She said she broke up over the phone because she was terrified of how he would react.
She also claimed that after the breakup, Zhou pestered her with repeated phone calls and messages. He accused her of moving on too quickly and demanded to know why a man had left comments on her TikTok video.
The 25-year-old former Goldman analyst used app-generated phone numbers to message his ex after she blocked his phone number and Instagram account. Many of the messages were threatening in nature. In one message, for example, Zhou sent her lewd photos and promised to rape her.
The arrest
OpenAI reported Zhou’s disturbing ChatGPT messages to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was arrested in May but soon posted the $100,000 bail.
However, he was fired from his Goldman Sachs job after the arrest.
In June, Zhou was charged with aggravated stalking, written threats to kill and illegal use of a cell phone. He pleaded guilty to all counts on August 13, after negotiating a deal that spared him both from prison and a felony conviction.
Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer said he agreed to the deal only after Zhou’s ex-girlfriend gave her approval. Under the agreement, the judge did not enter a conviction and instead placed Zhou on probation for eight years, with several conditions.
Zhou will have to wear an ankle monitor for the first two years. He must also attend a batterer intervention programme, undergo a mental health assessment, and stay away from drugs, alcohol and firearms.