Las Vegas Police confirmed that the driver, 37-year-old Army Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger, intentionally caused an explosion near the entrance of the hotel before shooting himself and used generative AI, including ChatGPT, to plan the attack.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill provided new details on the New Year’s Day explosion of the Tesla Cybertruck outside of the Trump Hotel, calling the incident “unprecedented” due to its connection with artificial intelligence tools.
“This is the first incident that I’m aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device,” he said. “It’s a concerning moment.”
Evidence collected during the investigation showed Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicated he was looking for legal limits in Colorado on Tannerite, a brand of explosive targets used for firearms practice and if fireworks were legal in Arizona.
A spokesperson from OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, said in a statement, “We are saddened by this incident and committed to seeing AI tools used responsibly.” The spokesperson continued that their models are designed to refuse “harmful instructions” and minimize harmful content. The spokesperson stated that ChatGPT only offered information already available on the internet but provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities.
Some of the suspects’ entries asked, “How much Tannerite is equivalent to 1 pound of TNT?” and “What pistol could set it off?” as well as “What would set it off at point-blank range?”
These searches were from Dec. 27, 2024, five days before the attack.
Officials said Livelsberger had first planned to launch off the glass skywalk at the Grand Canyon, but for an unknown reason, changed course to Las Vegas based on evidence found on his phone.
Livelsberger’s last entry in his journal was from Dec. 31, 2024, one day before the attack. He wrote: “I hope I get enough space and time to send out my message before committing. This is going to be my last log because there’s too much to prep.”
Sheriff Dori Koren said the department does not know why he chose Trump Tower instead.
Livelsberger wrote in detail of “graphic” encounters he had while serving in the Army and that his plan was only to harm himself. Koren stated that this adds to the evidence that Livelsberger suffered from PTSD.
One of Livelsberger’s entries also stated, “When writing this, I was super high on weed and drinking because if I they are going to take me out I’m going to do the drugs I’ve been missing out on.”
ATF agent Kenneth Cooper stated that the 60-pound pyrotechnic explosion was triggered by fuel-air ignition. He said that evidence suggests that nearly 20 gallons of fuel were poured over the materials in the cyber truck and throughout the vehicle, as seen in the surveillance footage.
Cooper said that possible sources for the initial flame that set off the explosion included a firearm muzzle flash, a hobby fuse, or even an electrical short in the vehicle.
At the news conference, McMahill added that the investigation is far from over and said that there were still items to search through, such as a laptop, another phone and a smartwatch.
