First responders are seen in an area sealed off outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Jan. 1, 2025. One person was killed and seven others were injured on Wednesday after a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, local media reported, citing the police. (Xinhua/Tan Jingjing)

"This is the first incident that I'm aware of on US soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device," said Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, as investigation into the Tesla Cybertruck New Year's Day explosion outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas is underway, US media reported. 

As attack and explosion in New Year Day in the US have sparked public concerns over the potential application and use of new technology including the generative artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) in planning and execution of crimes, said a Chinese security expert on Thursday, calling on vigilance and targeted prevention to effectively curb the abuse of new technology. 

The highly decorated soldier used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday, the AP reported. 

A laptop, cellphone and watch are still under review nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself just before the truck blew up. An investigation of Livelsberger's searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona, the report said.

"It's a concerning moment," Kevin the Las Vegas sheriff was quoted in the report as saying, calling the use of generative AI a "game-changer" and said the department was sharing information with other law enforcement agencies.

In an emailed statement, OpenAI said it was committed to seeing its tools used "responsibly" and that they're designed to refuse harmful instructions.

"In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities. We're working with law enforcement to support their investigation," the emailed statement said.

Just as other new technologies have been used for criminal activities, the use of AI and AR for crime undoubtedly poses new challenges to public safety. Previously, it was observed that terrorists used internet street view maps to plan attacks. Now, AI and AR can be used in the same way, including for crimes like fraud, Li Wei, an expert on national security and anti-terrorism at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Human society's progress and technological development inevitably give rise to various criminal issues, such as criminals exploiting new technologies. To effectively prevent such criminals, it is essential to address all aspects of how they use new technologies and implement targeted prevention and enforcement measures, Li noted.

On the same day as the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, a suspected terrorist drove a rented ute through crowds in the city of New Orleans, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker who drove a truck through New Orleans' Bourbon Street on New Year's Day used Meta smart glasses to scout the scene weeks earlier, according to the FBI, the CNN reported.

According to the report, Meta smart glasses -- which are part of a wider industry push to make hands-free, wearable technology the next big computing platform -- can take photos and use artificial intelligence to answer user questions about their surroundings.