A 21-year-old woman in South Korea has been arrested on suspicion of murdering two men after allegedly using ChatGPT to research how drugs mixed with alcohol could be deadly.
Police say the suspect, identified only by her surname Kim, was detained on 11 February and is now facing upgraded murder charges following an investigation into two deaths in Seoul.
According to the BBC and The Korea Herald, the first incident happened on 28 January in the city’s Gangbuk district, where Kim allegedly checked into a motel with a man in his 20s, authorities say.
She reportedly left about two hours later, and the man was found dead the following day.
Investigators say a second death occurred on 9 February after she allegedly used the same method – giving a drink mixed with drugs to another man at a different Seoul motel.
Police also suspect an earlier attempted killing in December 2025 in Namyangju. In that case, Kim is accused of giving a sedative-mixed drink to her then-partner, causing him to lose consciousness.
According to investigators, her phone records showed searches on the AI chatbot ChatGPT about the effects of mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and how dangerous such combinations could be.
Police said she later prepared drinks with higher doses of benzodiazepine-based sedatives, drugs that slow brain activity.
During questioning, Kim allegedly admitted mixing the sedatives into drinks but claimed she did not realise the amounts could be lethal.
Officers said the charges were upgraded after reviewing her online searches, which they argue indicate intent.
Authorities say no clear motive has yet been identified and the investigation is ongoing.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has not released any statement on the matter.
