The 29-year-old man accused of starting the devastating Los Angeles wildfire that destroyed parts of Pacific Palisades allegedly turned to ChatGPT moments after reporting the blaze: asking if he was “at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarette.” According to a federal criminal complaint, Jonathan Rinderknecht called 911 at about 12.17am on New Year’s Day to report a small fire along a trail in the hills above the neighbourhood. GPS data placed him near the bottom of the trail, and during the same call, he typed his question into the ChatGPT app on his iPhone. The chatbot replied, “Yes,” followed by an explanation. Minutes later, the complaint says, Rinderknecht got into his car and drove away from the area at around 12.20am, passing fire engines heading in the opposite direct

See Full Page