Top Scientist Allegedly Used AI Tool in Plot to Poison Rival

In a separate but equally disturbing situation, a Japanese scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is facing serious legal trouble. The scientist, Makoto Kuroda, has been charged with felony after allegedly confessing to attempting to poison a colleague in April at the university’s Influenza Research Institute (IRI), as revealed by court documents obtained by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Investigations revealed that the 41-year-old Kuroda was driven by feelings of resentment when a friend and colleague was promoted, leading to a shift in their relationship. This perceived slight culminated in Kuroda allegedly contaminating his colleague’s water bottle with various toxic chemicals. He reportedly left a note, written in Japanese, confessing, “I did it.”

According to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Court, Kuroda admitted to using a combination of chloroform, paraformaldehyde (PFA), and Trizol to poison his colleague’s water bottle and shoes. This admission highlights the potential dangers posed by someone with Kuroda’s access to such hazardous substances.

As a research scientist at the IRI, Kuroda was deeply involved in significant research projects and had co-authored several papers on the Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. His role afforded him access to a broad array of toxic chemicals, underscoring the gravity of this breach of trust and safety within a scientific setting.

An outside view of Bascom Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin Oct. 12, 2013, in Madison, Wis. Inset: A mugshot of Makoto Kuroda courtesy of Dane County Sheriff’s Office. (Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

In the days leading up to his alleged contamination, Kuroda reportedly used ChatGPT to “find the harmful amount of PFA and Trizol for both humans and animals,” according to a police report cited in the complaint.

The alleged victim, identified in the document only as TM, was once a close friend to Kuroda, but their relationship had deteriorated.

Kuroda told police there were “multiple small things” that led to his decision to poison his former friend, including an incident in which Kuroda got upset with the victim for not wearing a lab coat and goggles in the lab, according to court documents. 

But Kuroda also cited a promotion awarded to the victim, claiming after he got the promotion, TM’s attitude toward Kuroda changed.

This file photo shows a research specialist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison putting a pregnant rhesus macaque monkey infected with the Zika virus back into its cage following an ultrasound on June 28, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“The defendant felt TM felt he was better than the defendant,” according to the court document.

Kuroda allegedly told police TM “started treating subordinates as less than and supervisors as better than,” court documents said. The defendant allegedly refused to wear a lab coat when supervisors were not present.

Kuroda mentioned other small incidents that rubbed him the wrong way as well.

“According to the defendant, there is an unwritten rule in the lab when people are walking down the center hall of the labs, you need to wait for the person to pass before you cross that hall. The defendant was walking down this hall and instead of TM waiting like everyone else does, TM crossed in front of the defendant like the defendant was not there. 

“TM also had a piece of trash and threw it into the trash in front of the defendant making a loud noise. The defendant felt this action was intentionally disrespectful. The stress that TM was causing kept growing and growing making the defendant ‘do this.’”

Bascom Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

Kuroda used half a milliliter of 4% PFA in TM’s water bottle, an amount he did not expect to kill the victim.

“My aim was just, he feel bad,” he allegedly told police.

According to the police report, when asked how he’d feel if the victim died, Kuroda “sat silent for about 30 seconds before saying ‘I, I shouldn’t do that.’”

After police were called to investigate the matter, Kuroda came clean to both the victim and another employee who, like Kuroda, speaks Japanese.

In a letter addressed to this colleague, who the court documents list only as YK, Kuroda wrote, “I did it. I have also informed the person himself. I am very sorry.”

Prosecutors charged Kuroda with one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and one charge of tampering with household products. If found guilty of both, he could face up to 16 years in prison and fines of over $35,000.

Fox News Digital contacted the University of Wisconsin for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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