The FBI helped prevent a potential school massacre in Argentina after warning local authorities about a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly planning an attack and had turned to ChatGPT for assistance.
Quilmes prosecutor Alejandro de Mena told Infobae that the FBI contacted Argentine officials on Aug. 15 after the teenager repeatedly used the artificial intelligence chatbot while preparing for a possible attack at his school.
The boy had originally intended to carry out the alleged massacre in 2027, but later returned to ChatGPT seeking information about moving the planned attack up to this month.
FBI agents based at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires submitted a report to Interpol and the Argentine Federal Police, triggering an investigation into the threat.
Argentina’s Attorney General’s Office authorized the federal police to search the teen’s home, where officers seized two mobile phones, including one he used as a computer.
Investigators also confiscated a mask the boy had reportedly worn to conceal his identity in several photographs.
“Often, we are playing catch-up with crime and never manage to get ahead of it before it is committed,” de Mena said.
“In this instance, I believe we managed to get ahead of it before it could actually be carried out.”
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De Mena did not disclose the type of attack the student was allegedly planning. He said, however, that authorities found no firearms during the search of the home.
The Attorney General’s Office is reviewing material recovered from the devices to determine whether any other people may have been involved in the alleged school attack plot.
The teen’s parents were shocked when the agents showed up at their door, de Mena told Todo Noticias.
“Parents are always surprised at that moment, and often fail to grasp the seriousness of what this could lead to,” he said.
Investigators have been unable to detect any other chat activity related to attacks that may have been planned in other schools, De Mena added.
The Attorney General’s Office has been analyzing the content on his mobile devices to check if any third parties were involved.
de Mena explained that the boy can’t be tried in court because he is considered a minor and that he has yet to be interrogated.
OpenAI and the FBI did not immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment.