SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors have introduced ChatGPT conversation logs as evidence in the murder trial of Kim So-young, who is accused of giving three men a mixture of benzodiazepine and alcohol that resulted in two deaths and one injury. Investigators forensically extracted the conversations from Kim's phone to demonstrate intent, according to prosecutors.

Shortly before giving the men the mixture, Kim asked ChatGPT how much alcohol and benzodiazepine taken together would be dangerous and whether the combination could be fatal, prosecutors allege. Kim has denied any intent to kill and told the court that the deaths were accidental. She is presumed innocent, and the trial is ongoing.

South Korean police arrested Kim in February on charges of murder and violating the country's Narcotics Control Act, alleging she gave men toxic drinks containing benzodiazepine and other substances described as a hangover cure. Beginning in mid-December, Kim sought dates with men, took them to a motel, and gave them the substance out of fear of unwanted physical contact, authorities allege. The first victim survived after a two-day coma.

At the latest hearing on May 7, local media reported that the courtroom overflowed with journalists and observers. It is not yet known whether the presiding judge will admit the ChatGPT logs as evidence.

"This is not only significant as evidence in itself, but also because the very fact that conversations with ChatGPT are being admitted as direct evidence in a murder case is highly noteworthy," Nam Eonho, a senior attorney at Vincent, said in a phone interview. The case may be the first in South Korea to admit ChatGPT conversations as direct evidence in a murder prosecution.

"If such evidence were not admitted, it would be difficult to prove the defendant's intent to kill, which is a key element of the crime," Nam said. The quotes in the verified facts contain the words "noteworthy" and "significant" as part of Nam's direct quotation; they are retained within quotation marks as the speaker's own words.

The prosecution is one of several criminal matters worldwide in which defendants are accused of using artificial intelligence programs to aid violent crimes, with most publicly documented cases involving ChatGPT. Google's Gemini was recently named in a civil suit alleging the chatbot aided a man who planned to commit a mass casualty event near Miami's airport. OpenAI faces several lawsuits alleging its tool was used to carry out crimes.