Teen asked ChatGPT how to 'kill his friend in class'. Gaggle ratted him out - 'I was just...'

A 13-year-old in Florida asked ChatGPT, "How to kill my friend in the middle of class", leading to his arrest. An AI-powered school monitoring system called Gaggle immediately sent an alert, after which a school police officer came to his class. NBC-affiliate WFLA reported that the teen, a student at Southwestern Middle School in Deland, was taken away by the officer. When asked about the question he posed to ChatGPT, the student claimed that he was “just trolling” a friend. However, with the shooting incidents on the rise in America, the school did not take it lightly. Local police from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested the teen, and he was booked at the county jail. A video of the student being arrested is also doing the rounds on social media.

Police ask parents to remain vigilant about their child's activity on ChatGPT

WFLA reported that the police called on the parents to remain alert about what their children are doing on the internet and with ChatGPT. They asked them to check on the kids to ensure they do not use these tools in this manner. The local sheriff’s office said, "Another 'joke' that created an emergency on campus. Parents, please talk to your kids so they don’t make the same mistake." In this case, what helped the school authorities take action was Gaggle.

Gaggle is a device installed on school devices which can detect a student's behaviour that might be a cause for worry. Their actions could either be directed towards themselves or others. Gaggle also helps block inappropriate content on devices. While Gaggle might prove to be a boon in some cases, it has mostly garnered criticism. It has led to countless false alarms in the past. Critics also say that it creates a surveillance state-like environment on school campuses.