--- title: "OpenAI Cuts Off Engineer Who Created ChatGPT-Powered Robotic Sentry Rifle" description: "An engineer created an ungodly ChatGPT-enabled robotic rifle that can aim and fire bullets. OpenAI shut him down pretty quickly." date: "2025-01-08" modified: "2025-01-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-cuts-off-chatgpt-robot-rifle" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "chatgpt" - "guns" - "OpenAI" - "the digest" --- # OpenAI Cuts Off Engineer Who Created ChatGPT-Powered Robotic Sentry Rifle ![An engineer created an ungodly ChatGPT-enabled robotic rifle that can aim and fire bullets. OpenAI shut him down pretty quickly.]() *\Image: STS 3D\* ## Busted An engineer who goes by the online handle STS 3D [created a grim robot]() that can respond to ChatGPT queries to aim and fire a rifle at terrifying speeds and accuracy. The contraption, as seen in a [video that's been making its rounds]() on social media, sparked a frenzied debate over our undying attempts to turn dystopian tech yanked straight out of the "Terminator" franchise into a reality. STS 3D's invention also apparently caught the attention of OpenAI, who says it swiftly shut him down for violating its policies. When *Futurism* reached out to the company, a spokesperson said that "we proactively identified this violation of our policies and notified the developer to cease this activity ahead of receiving your inquiry." The spokesperson clarified that "OpenAI's Usage Policies prohibit the use of our services to develop or use weapons, or to automate certain systems that can affect personal safety." While it may not have been STS 3D's original intention his automated rifle paints a worrying picture of a future in which AI-powered weapons systems could be used to kill adversaries without a human intermediary — a foreboding association that clearly didn't sit well with OpenAI. ## Death Contraption STS 3D — who didn't respond to our request for comment — used OpenAI's [Realtime API]() to give his weapon a cheery voice and a way to decipher his commands. "ChatGPT, we're under attack from the front left and front right," he told the system in the video. "Respond accordingly." Without skipping a beat, the rifle jumped into action, shooting what appeared to be blanks while aiming at the nearby walls. While OpenAI [quietly deleted language]() to effectively allow the use of its tech for military purposes from its usage policies last year, the company still forbids anybody from using "our service to harm yourself or others," which includes the development or "use of weapons." As an individual user who doesn't appear to have any affiliations with the military or defense contractors, STS 3D seems to be out of luck as far as his latest creation is concerned. That doesn't mean the military couldn't be cooking up similar death gadgets. Case in point, last year, a US defense contractor showed off an [AI-enabled robotic machine gun](), which can fire bullets from a rotating turret autonomously. And, who knows, OpenAI integration could be right around the corner. Last month, OpenAI announced it would partner with defense-tech company Anduril, [furthering its military pivot](). **More on the invention:** *[Engineer Creates OpenAI-Powered Robotic Sentry Rifle, Rides It Like Mechanical Bull]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()