Fiery ChatGPT image helped catch alleged arsonist in Pacific Palisades fire

ChatGPT helped authorities zero in on the suspected arsonist who started the deadly Pacific Palisades Fire, which ravaged the Los Angeles area in January.

Authorities arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht this week, and ChatGPT provided some of the key evidence in the case. Most notably, authorities pointed out that Rinderknecht asked the AI ​​chatbot to render a strange, dystopian image that could hint at his potential motivations.

The prompt for ChatGPT reads, according to court documents published online by Deadline and other media outlets:

“A dystopian painting divided into separate parts that blend together perfectly. On the far left, there is a forest on fire. Next to it, a crowd of people are fleeing the fire, leading to the middle. In the middle, hundreds of thousands of poor people are trying to get through a gigantic door with a big dollar sign on it. On the other side of the door and the entire wall is a conglomeration of the richest people. They are cold, watching the world. burn and watch people struggle. They laugh, have fun and dance. The scene is detailed and impactful, emphasizing the stark contrast and direct connection between different parts of the world. »

The image in question appears in court documents.

AI-generated images from Rinderknecht’s prompt.
Credit: ChatGPT / Court documents via Deadline

The Palisades Fire was incredibly destructive. It killed a dozen people, destroyed more than 6,000 homes, burned 23,000 acres of land and ultimately caused $150 billion in damage.

Authorities believe the fire was initially started by buried embers from the previous Lachman Fire, which started on New Year’s Day.

Authorities say Rinderknecht’s location was pinpointed to a hidden hilltop clearing where and when the fire started on January 1. Rinderknecht was in that area on New Year’s Eve and working as an Uber driver, according to a Department of Justice press release. The complaint against him alleges he delivered passengers around midnight on Dec. 31, then drove to the Skull Rock trailhead, where the fire broke out a few minutes after midnight.

Phone data reportedly showed he attempted to call 911 around that time, but was unsuccessful for a time due to poor reception. ChatGPT was also involved in the case. Officials say that around the same time, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT, “Are you at fault if a fire is put out?” [sic] because of your cigarettes? »

Investigators alleged that Rinderknecht “wanted to preserve evidence of his attempt to assist in extinguishing the fire and that he wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire.”

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, filed a lawsuit in April against OpenAI, alleging that it violated Ziff Davis’ copyrights in the training and operation of its AI systems.