- Former Goldman Sachs analyst Darren Zhou was arrested for planning violence via ChatGPT
- OpenAI reported Zhou's threatening conversations to the FBI leading to his arrest in May
- Zhou allegedly detailed plans to harm and sexually assault his ex-girlfriend and her family
A former Goldman Sachs analyst in Florida was arrested after allegedly using ChatGPT to describe detailed plans to sexually assault and kill his ex-girlfriend, according to court documents. Darren Zhou, 25, a former analyst at Goldman Sachs in West Palm Beach, was arrested in May after OpenAI reported his conversations with ChatGPT to the FBI, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reported. Investigators said the messages, sent over several months, went beyond emotional venting and appeared to be repeated planning and rehearsal of violence.
6 days before Zhou's arrest, the FBI tipped off the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and gave investigators two months of his chat history.
It all started this March when Zhou reportedly started talking to the chatbot about his ex-girlfriend after their six-month relationship ended. He told police he was jealous of other men around her and talked about killing her if she refused him, the probable cause affidavit stated.
At one point, Zhou allegedly told ChatGPT that he planned to wait for his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot of her gym with flowers and ask her to reconcile. Investigators said he described a plan to pull out a gun and kill her before turning the weapon on himself if she refused.
His alleged threats later escalated to sexual violence and hostage-taking. Zhou reportedly told the chatbot that he wanted to force his former girlfriend to drive to his home in South Palm Beach, where he planned to sexually assault and hold her captive. He also discussed shooting her repeatedly before killing himself if police intervened.
Investigators said his alleged targets eventually expanded to include members of his ex-girlfriend's family.
Deputies conducted a welfare check on the woman, who was 21 at the time. She told investigators that she had ended the relationship because of Zhou's erratic, jealous, and controlling behaviour. She said she chose to break up over the phone because she was afraid of how he might react.
After the breakup, Zhou allegedly continued contacting her through phone calls, text messages, and social media. He reportedly questioned her about other men, including one who had commented on her TikTok posts, and accused her of moving on too quickly
When she blocked his phone number and Instagram account, investigators said Zhou allegedly used numbers generated through various apps to continue contacting her. Some of the messages were described as harassing, insulting, sexual and threatening. The woman also provided investigators with screenshots of the alleged communications.
A sheriff's deputy who reviewed Zhou's ChatGPT conversations said the messages were not simply vague expressions of anger or distress. Instead, investigators said they showed a pattern of increasingly specific threats and plans.
Zhou was arrested in May and spent two days in the Palm Beach County jail before posting $100,000 bail. He was later charged with aggravated stalking, written threats to kill, and illegal use of a cellphone. He pleaded guilty to all three charges on August 13 as part of a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid prison and a felony conviction.
Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer said he accepted the agreement in part because Zhou's former girlfriend had agreed to it. Rather than entering a conviction, the judge withheld adjudication and sentenced Zhou to eight years of probation.
