'Israeli' authorities extend detention of Palestinian academic over ChatGPT conversations
'Israeli' police have renewed the administrative detention of a young Palestinian academic from occupied Palestinian territories for six additional months, bringing his total time in detention to 12 months, according to lawyer Khaled Mahajna, a specialist in prisoners’ affairs.
The case is reportedly unprecedented, stemming from the individual’s interactions with the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT.
Mahajna told Roya News that the academic was unexpectedly arrested by 'Israeli' intelligence and initially denied access to his lawyer.
During questioning, 'Israeli' authorities alleged that the Palestinian student had asked ChatGPT how to make weapons and explosives, claiming the queries indicated an intent to carry out attacks against 'Israel'. The academic has categorically denied the accusations, asserting that his questions were purely academic and related to his research work, with no intent to commit any unlawful acts.
Unprecedented Monitoring of AI Conversations
Mahajna described a particularly troubling aspect of the case: during the investigation, 'Israeli' intelligence presented the student with transcripts of his conversations with ChatGPT, despite him not sharing them with any third party. This, according to the lawyer, represents a serious precedent for monitoring private interactions on AI platforms.
“The intelligence services now interpret communication with AI as a potential offense,” Mahajna warned, “people are being monitored and detained solely based on these interactions.”
He added that the detention is part of a wider wave of arrests in recent weeks, particularly in the city of Umm al-Fahm, where youths, including a 15-year-old minor, were arrested over online searches conducted on Google, Telegram, social media, and AI platforms.
Previously, Mahajna stated, “A young Palestinian from inside the occupied Palestinian territory has been under administrative detention for months because of his conversations with artificial intelligence. He acted out of curiosity, yet this innocent dialogue has been used as grounds for arrest.”
