USF student murders lead to first-of-its-kind probe into AI’s role in criminal activity
USF student murders lead to new state partnership
Hillsborough's state attorney and Florida's attorney general announced a first-of-its-kind partnership to look at whether AI played a role in the USF student killings. FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier have announced a first-of-its-kind public safety partnership to examine the role artificial intelligence may play in criminal activity.
The announcement comes in the wake of the deaths of USF graduate students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is joining the local prosecution team to focus specifically on the digital footprint of Hisham Aburgharbieh, Limon’s roommate, who is accused of killing the students.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Investigating ChatGPT’s role
According to court documents, Abugharbieh allegedly used ChatGPT to ask a series of troubling questions between April 13 and April 19.
Investigators say those questions included:
- "What happens if a human is put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?"
- "How would [someone] find out?"
- "Can a VIN number on a car be changed?"
The specialized legal team will examine Aburgharbieh’s interactions with ChatGPT.
"We want to assess whether or not those interactions, the things that he [Abugharbieh] looked up, in any way contributed to the violent crimes that he is alleged to have committed, and evaluate whether there's any responsibility on the part of ChatGPT and OpenAI in the deaths of these two students," said State Attorney Lopez.
The investigation aims to answer two primary questions:
- Did interactions with the AI platform contribute to the commission of the crimes?
- Does ChatGPT or its developer, OpenAI, bear any potential legal responsibility for the violence?
To support this effort, the Attorney General has committed two assistant statewide prosecutors to work alongside local officials, leveraging the resources of the state’s top legal office to transcend jurisdictional boundaries.
FOX 13 reached out to ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, regarding the investigation, but have not received a response.
What they're saying:
"At the center of this case are two young lives that were taken far too soon. We will hold this defendant fully accountable, but our responsibility does not end there. We owe it to these families and our community to follow every lead and examine every factor that may have contributed to this violence. Technology does not stop at our county line. That is why a coordinated, statewide approach matters," said Lopez. "This will let every big technology company know that when you create a product in the pursuit of profit, the full resources of Florida’s prosecutors will join together to protect public safety."
Experts say AI platforms are designed with safeguards to flag concerning activity.
Dr. Jill Schiefelbein explained that suspicious interactions can trigger review systems.
"Anything that gets flagged gets immediately triggered to a human," Schiefelbein said.
Schiefelbein added that even deleted conversations may still be temporarily stored.
"If you delete the chat, it has that 30-day memory. And that is so the safeguards that are in place, like flagging for illegal or illicit uses, are flagged and sent to the right person," Schiefelbein said.
Prosecutors say they plan to use the suspect’s alleged AI searches to argue the killings were premeditated.
"That does go in fact towards premeditation. It goes towards the fact that this defendant was very thoughtful in his actions, and he planned out everything that he was going to do," Lopez said.
What's next:
The partnership allows the two agencies to share evidence, synchronize investigative efforts, and pool their expertise. While this case is the catalyst for the collaboration, officials indicated that this is not a one-time measure.
The Attorney General and the State Attorney have signaled that they intend to work together on all future cases where artificial intelligence is found to play a role in local criminal conduct.
Legal experts suggest that the outcome of this inquiry could set a significant legal precedent, potentially influencing how AI developers are held accountable for criminal activity facilitated by their platforms across the state, the nation, and the world.
The Islamic community, meanwhile, is planning a prayer service for Limon at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay.
Limon and Bristy will be remembered during an on-campus vigil at USF Friday at 4 p.m. at Crescent Hill, located north of the Marshall Student Center.
The Source: This article was written from an interview with an AI expert and with information from a press release sent by the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office and previous FOX 13 News reports.