A chatbot provider’s alert to the FBI led Hungarian police to arrest a 22-year-old foreign woman at her rented Budapest apartment on November 12. She was suspected of preparing to murder an acquaintance after describing an alleged plan in conversations with an AI chatbot. Prosecutors later decided to release her, according to Police.hu.
The investigation began on November 8, when the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, notified the Transatlantic Operations Department of Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) that an internet user linked to Hungary had discussed killing someone with an AI chatbot. The company that develops and operates the AI service had reported the conversation to US authorities, who then asked Hungarian investigators for help.
Hungarian investigators worked with FBI agents stationed in Hungary to identify the user. According to police, the conversations appeared to contain specific ideas about killing an acquaintance, rather than just angry remarks.
Police said the woman described entering the intended victim’s house through an open window and attacking them with a knife. The alleged plan also included mutilating and killing the acquaintance, then attacking their family members.
Authorities treated the threat as serious and acted quickly. Using data from the AI application and Hungary’s register of foreign residents, investigators soon identified both the chatbot user and the intended victim.
Officers arrested the woman at her rented Budapest apartment on November 12. She had been studying in Hungary for several years. During a search of the apartment, police seized her mobile phone and computer. Specialists then copied electronic data from both devices.
Police questioned her on suspicion of preparation for homicide. In her statement, she said she had been drunk while chatting with the AI and did not remember what she had written. She also said she had no intention of killing anyone. The allegations remain suspicions, not a finding of guilt.
The NNI placed her in criminal custody and requested her pretrial detention. Prosecutors, however, decided to release her.
