OpenAI reported a ChatGPT user to the FBI this year after he used the chatbot to describe plans to kill his former girlfriend, according to court records reported by the Palm Beach Post and summarized by Futurism. The case is a rare public example of an AI company escalating a user's conversations to law enforcement.
The user, identified in coverage as Darren Zhou, a 25-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst, turned to ChatGPT in March after a breakup. According to messages preserved in court records, he described his ex-girlfriend's routines and where she went, expressed jealousy, and wrote out threats of rape and murder. He also told the chatbot he had bought firearms and sent her photos of the weapons along with zip ties and gloves.
OpenAI's stated policy is that a small team may review ChatGPT interactions when the system detects that a user plans to harm others, and in serious cases the company may send a tip to law enforcement. In this instance, the company notified the FBI. Zhou was arrested, and a judge later allowed a deal that let him avoid a potential 25-year sentence.
The episode lands as labs widen the boundary between private conversation and mandated reporting. ChatGPT transcripts have already become common evidence in civil and criminal cases, but proactive reporting by the vendor is less frequent and raises fresh questions about when a chatbot crosses from confidant to whistleblower.
For OpenAI, the threshold appears to be explicit, detailed plans to harm a named person. The company has not published precise counts of how often it contacts authorities, leaving the exact trigger for escalation unclear.
Sources
- Palm Beach Post: ChatGPT reported South Palm Beach man's rape and murder threats to FBI (https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2026/08/14/openai-reported-florida-man-darren-zhou-chatgpt-murder-messages-fbi/91285875007)
- Futurism / Yahoo: OpenAI Reports Goldman Sachs Analyst to FBI for Horrifying ChatGPT Conversations (https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/openai-reports-goldman-sachs-analyst-151842508.html)
- Detroit Free Press: Florida man told ChatGPT he'd murder his ex. OpenAI alerted the FBI (https://www.freep.com/story/news/crime/2026/08/14/openai-alerted-fbi-threat/91308065007)
