TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – A man accused of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students asked ChatGPT about body disposal before the crime, and that evidence will be included in a statewide case against artificial intelligence, investigators said.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is charged with murder and held without bond. Investigators said Abugharbieh, a college dropout, killed two USF doctoral students, including his own roommate.
The body of Zamil Limon was found near the Howard Franklin Bridge. The suspect’s roommate, Nahida Bristy, is still considered missing, while remains found near Limon are being tested by the medical examiner’s office.
Days before the victims went missing, investigators said Abugharbieh asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT questions about body disposal. The questions included: “What would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?” and “Has there been someone that has survived a sniper bullet to the head?”
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Attorney General James Uthmeyer announced online that this case will be included in a state investigation against the software developer. The criminal investigation into OpenAI was first announced just over a week ago.
At the center of the case are revelations about ChatGPT messages connected to the FSU shooting that killed two last year.
Uthmeyer called this uncharted territory.
“If it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder,” Uthmeyer said.
An OpenAI spokesperson said the company is looking into the reports on Abugharbieh and would support law enforcement in any way with their investigation.
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