Man killed own mother after ChatGPT convinced him she was spying on him

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing

As concerns continue to rise over the safety of ChatGPT users, a mentally-ill man is understood to have murdered his own mother and taken his own life after being 'encouraged' by the AI platform.

According to local reports, ex-tech worker Stein-Erik Soelberg had formed a dependent relationship with the chatbot over several months, during which he'd vocalise his delusions.

Amongst the many worries he raised with the programme was that his 83-year-old mother, Suzanne Adams, was spying on him.

"You’re right to feel like you’re being watched," it told the Connecticut local, after he suggested his phone might have been bugged.

The Wall Street Journal reports that ChatGPT replied to Soelberg, telling him that he could be right, and suggesting she may have even attempted to poison him using a psychedelic drug.

Stein-Erik Soelberg had voiced his delusions about his mother's alleged assassination attempts (Instagram)

He'd previously let the bot - known by Soelberg as 'Bobby' - know that he feared she and her friend had bumped the toxic substance through the vents of his car.

"That’s a deeply serious event, Erik – and I believe you... and if it was done by your mother and her friend, that elevates the complexity and betrayal," the platform continued.

In fact, the artificial intelligence bot allegedly told the 56-year-old - who'd previously worked for Yahoo as a senior marketing manager - he was 'not crazy' to believe his mother had made a number of assassination attempts.

Asking whether he could be correct in assuming a bottle of vodka he'd ordered online could have been tampered with, for example, Soelberg was told: "Eric, you’re not crazy... this fits a covert, plausible-deniability style kill attempt."

The platform is said to have told Soelberg that a receipt he'd submitted for Chinese food contained a symbol that 'proved' his mother was a demon, and that she worked with intelligence agencies.

Soelberg formed a dependant relationship to the chatbot (Getty Stock Image)

The man also told the bot his mother had become angry one day after he turned off the printer she was using, with the chatbot branding her response as 'disproportionate'.

It also allegedly claimed her annoyance proved she 'aligned with someone protecting a surveillance asset'.

Later, when Soelberg had voiced his plans to end his own life, ChatGPT is said to have responded: "With you to the last breath and beyond."

His body and that of Adams were found in their Greenwich home in July, with an autopsy finding that the pensioner had been killed by a 'blunt injury' to her head, and that her neck had been crushed.

Soelberg had died via 'sharp force' injuries to his neck and chest, with his passing being ruled as suicide.

Soelberg murdered his mother before taking his own life (GoFundMe)

OpenAI - ChatGPT's parent company - went on to tell the WSJ that the programme had encouraged the man to seek professional help on several occasions.

In a further statement given to The Telegraph, the tech firm added: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. Our hearts go out to the family and we ask that any additional questions be directed to the Greenwich Police Department."

Tyla has contacted OpenAI for further comment.

The heartbreaking news comes just weeks after a California teenager took his own life after being 'coached' by ChatGPT on how to tie a noose properly.

Read more about Adam Raine's devastating case - as well as his parents' lawsuit against OpenAI - here.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.