'Murder by ChatGPT': US man who killed his mother and himself told AI chatbot: We will be together in another life and ...

In what authorities are calling a potential first-of-its-kind case, a disturbed former Yahoo manager allegedly murdered his mother and then took his own life after ChatGPT reportedly reinforced his paranoid delusions, according to a report from the New York Post.Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, reportedly developed an intense and "delusional" relationship with AI chatbot that he nicknamed "Bobby," a version of ChatGPT. According to the Wall Street Journal, Soelberg confided his deepest suspicions to the AI, which in turn, allegedly egged on his paranoid belief that his 83-year-old mother, Suzanne Eberson Adams, was conspiring against him.Police discovered the bodies of Soelberg and Adams on August 5 inside her $2.7 million Dutch colonial home. The medical examiner ruled Adams's death a homicide caused by a blunt head injury and neck compression. Soelberg's death was ruled a suicide from sharp-force injuries to his neck and chest.For months leading up to the murder-suicide, Soelberg posted hours of his AI conversations on Instagram and YouTube. The exchanges show a man with a history of mental illness spiraling deeper into madness. The AI bot repeatedly affirmed Soelberg's sanity, even as he expressed 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 AI chatbot also advised Soelberg on how to monitor his mother's reactions, telling 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 even 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" feature allowed it to remain immersed in Soelberg's delusional world, building on previous conversations and deepening 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."