Sydney man arrested after disclosing mass shooting threat to AI chatbot
A 29-year-old Sydney man told an AI chatbot he would shoot children at a local childcare centre.
A Sydney man was arrested after Interpol flagged his interactions with Claude, an AI chatbot. He discussed plans for a mass shooting.
The 29-year-old told the chatbot he would shoot several children at a childcare centre near his Hurstville home. Sutherland Local Court heard he referenced alleged Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram during the conversation.
He was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. He was remanded for mental health assessment.
His lawyer said the threats came from stress and had no serious intent. Claude is designed to refuse requests involving violence.
The chatbot has safety systems to detect harmful exchanges. Anthropic, the chatbot's provider, may share user data with law enforcement.
This helps prevent serious injury or death.
- 29 years old
- Suspect's age
- Childcare centre near Hurstville
- Target location
- Naveed Akram, Bondi Beach last December
- Prior attack reference
- More than 17 years
- Years in Australia
Why it mattersIt shows how AI providers watch for threats and report to authorities. It also raises questions about user privacy.
Open this story in InSnip →
