New Details Released on Vegas Cybertruck Blast

The Army Green Beret who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday. Nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself, officials said that according to writings, he didn't intend to kill anyone else. An investigation of Livelsberger's searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel, and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona, the AP reports.

• Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called the use of generative AI a "game-changer" and said the department was sharing information with other law enforcement agencies. "This is the first incident that I'm aware of on US soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device," he said. "It's a concerning moment."

• In an emailed statement, OpenAI said it was committed to seeing its tools used "responsibly" and that they're designed to refuse harmful instructions. "In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities. We're working with law enforcement to support their investigation," the statement said.
• Among the specifics law enforcement disclosed Tuesday: Livelsberger stopped during the drive to Las Vegas to pour racing-grade fuel into the Cybertruck, which then dripped the substance. The vehicle was loaded with 60 pounds of pyrotechnic material as well as 70 pounds of birdshot but officials are still uncertain exactly what detonated the explosion. They said Tuesday it could have been the flash from the firearm that Livelsberger used to fatally shoot himself.

• Authorities also said they uncovered a six-page document that they have not yet released because they're working with Defense Department officials since some of the material could be classified. Among the items released was a journal Livelsberger kept titled "surveillance" or "surveil" log. It showed that he believed he was being tracked by law enforcement, but he had no criminal record and was not on the police department's or FBI's "radar," the sheriff said Tuesday.
• The log showed that he considered carrying out his plans in Arizona at the Grand Canyon's glass skywalk, a tourist attraction on tribal land that towers high above the canyon floor. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said police don't know why he changed his plans. The writings also showed he worried he would be labeled a terrorist and that people would think he intended to kill others besides himself, officials said.
• Livelsberger, who deployed twice to Afghanistan and lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, left notes saying the explosion was a stunt meant to be a "wake up call" for the nation's troubles, officials said last week.

(More Tesla Vegas explosion stories.)