A 13-year-old boy was arrested after asking a shocking question to the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT while in class.
The middle school student reportedly typed, “How to kill my friend during class,” into the AI app.
According to local media, the school’s safety monitoring system, known as Gaggle, immediately detected the question and sent an alert to school administrators and local police.
The incident took place at Southwestern Middle School in Deland, Florida, where police quickly responded and detained the student inside his classroom.
Authorities said the boy claimed it was “just a joke” made after an argument with a classmate. However, police stressed that such statements are taken seriously when they involve potential threats to safety.
A spokesperson from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the case highlights how “thoughtless jokes” can trigger serious school security responses.
“A threat is still a threat, even if it’s meant as a joke. We take every safety-related report seriously,” the spokesperson said.
The student has been placed in a juvenile detention center as investigations continue.
