Archived: A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich

This is a simplified archive of the page at https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-ai-stein-erik-soelberg-murder-suicide-6b67dbfb

Use this page embed on your own site:

<script>window.contexterSetup=window.contexterSetup||function(){window.contexterSetupComplete=!0;class ContexterLink extends HTMLAnchorElement{constructor(){super()}connectedCallback(){this.setAttribute("target","_blank")}}customElements.define("contexter-link",ContexterLink,{extends:"a"}),customElements.define("contexter-inner",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__inner"}}),customElements.define("contexter-thumbnail",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__thumbnail"}}),customElements.define("contexter-byline",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__byline"}}),customElements.define("contexter-keywordset",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__keywordset"}}),customElements.define("contexter-linkset",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__linkset"}}),customElements.define("contexter-meta",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__meta"}}),customElements.define("contexter-summary",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}attributeChangedCallback(name,oldValue,newValue){}connectedCallback(){this.className="p-summary entry-summary"}}),customElements.define("contexter-box-head",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}connectedCallback(){this.className="contexter-box__head"}}),customElements.define("contexter-box-inner",class extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super()}connectedCallback(){}});class ContexterBox extends HTMLElement{constructor(){super(),this.first=!0,this.shadow=this.attachShadow({mode:"open"})}connectedCallback(){if(this.first){this.first=!1;var style=document.createElement("style"),lightDomStyle=(style.innerHTML=`:host {--background: #f5f6f7;--border: darkblue;--blue: #0000ee;--font-color: black;--inner-border: black;font-family: Franklin,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;background: var(--background);width: 600px;color: var(--font-color);min-height: 90px;display: block;padding: 8px;border: 1px solid var(--border);cursor: pointer;box-sizing: border-box;margin: 6px;contain: content;margin: 6px auto;}// can only select top-level nodes with slotted::slotted(*) {max-width: 100%;display:block;}::slotted([slot=thumbnail]) {max-width: 100%;display:block;}::slotted([slot=header]) {width: 100%;font-size: 1.25rem;font-weight: bold;display:block;margin-bottom: 6px;}::slotted([slot=author]) {max-width: 50%;font-size: 12px;display:inline-block;float: left;}::slotted([slot=time]) {max-width: 50%;font-size: 12px;display:inline-block;float: right;}::slotted([slot=summary]) {width: 100%;margin-top: 6px;padding: 10px 2px;border-top: 1px solid var(--inner-border);font-size: 15px;display:inline-block;margin-bottom: 6px;}contexter-meta {height: auto;margin-bottom: 4px;width: 100%;display: grid;position: relative;min-height: 16px;grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);}::slotted([slot=keywords]) {width: 80%;padding: 2px 4px;border-top: 1px solid var(--inner-border);font-size: 11px;display: block;float: right;font-style: italic;text-align: right;grid-column: 2/2;grid-row: 1;align-self: end;justify-self: end;}::slotted([slot=keywords]):empty {border-top: 0px solid var(--inner-border);}::slotted([slot=archive-link]) {font-size: 1em;display: inline;}::slotted([slot=archive-link])::after {content: "|";display: inline;color: var(--font-color);text-decoration: none;margin: 0 .5em;}::slotted([slot=read-link]) {font-size: 1em;display: inline;}contexter-linkset {width: 80%;padding: 2px 4px;font-size: 13px;float: left;font-weight: bold;grid-row: 1;grid-column: 1/2;align-self: end;justify-self: start;}/* Extra small devices (phones, 600px and down) */@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {:host {width: 310px;}}/* Small devices (portrait tablets and large phones, 600px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 600px) {...}/* Medium devices (landscape tablets, 768px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {...}/* Large devices (laptops/desktops, 992px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 992px) {...}/* Extra large devices (large laptops and desktops, 1200px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 1200px) {...}@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark){:host {--background: #354150;--border: #1f2b37;--blue: #55b0ff;--font-color: #ffffff;--inner-border: #787a7c;background: var(--background);border: 1px solid var(--border)}}`,document.createElement("style"));lightDomStyle.innerHTML=`contexter-box {contain: content;}contexter-box .read-link {font-weight: bold;}contexter-box a {color: #0000ee;}contexter-box img {width: 100%;border: 0;padding: 0;margin: 0;}/* Extra small devices (phones, 600px and down) */@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {...}/* Small devices (portrait tablets and large phones, 600px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 600px) {...}/* Medium devices (landscape tablets, 768px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {...}/* Large devices (laptops/desktops, 992px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 992px) {...}/* Extra large devices (large laptops and desktops, 1200px and up) */@media only screen and (min-width: 1200px) {...}@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark){contexter-box a {color: #55b0ff;}}`,this.appendChild(lightDomStyle),this.shadow.appendChild(style);const innerContainer=document.createElement("contexter-box-inner"),innerSlotThumbnail=(this.shadow.appendChild(innerContainer),document.createElement("slot")),innerSlotHeader=(innerSlotThumbnail.name="thumbnail",innerContainer.appendChild(innerSlotThumbnail),document.createElement("slot")),innerSlotAuthor=(innerSlotHeader.name="header",innerContainer.appendChild(innerSlotHeader),document.createElement("slot")),innerSlotTime=(innerSlotAuthor.name="author",innerContainer.appendChild(innerSlotAuthor),document.createElement("slot")),innerSlotSummary=(innerSlotTime.name="time",innerContainer.appendChild(innerSlotTime),document.createElement("slot")),metaContainer=(innerSlotSummary.name="summary",innerContainer.appendChild(innerSlotSummary),document.createElement("contexter-meta")),innerSlotInfo=(innerContainer.appendChild(metaContainer),document.createElement("slot")),linkContainer=(innerSlotInfo.name="keywords",metaContainer.appendChild(innerSlotInfo),document.createElement("contexter-linkset")),innerSlotArchiveLink=(metaContainer.appendChild(linkContainer),document.createElement("slot")),innerSlotReadLink=(innerSlotArchiveLink.name="archive-link",linkContainer.appendChild(innerSlotArchiveLink),document.createElement("slot"));innerSlotReadLink.name="read-link",linkContainer.appendChild(innerSlotReadLink),this.className="contexter-box",this.onclick=e=>{if(!e.target.className.includes("read-link")&&!e.target.className.includes("title-link")){const mainLinks=this.querySelectorAll("a.main-link");mainLinks[0].click()}}}}}customElements.define("contexter-box",ContexterBox)},window.contexterSetupComplete||window.contexterSetup();</script><contexter-box class="link-card h-entry hentry" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork"><contexter-thumbnail class="thumbnail" slot="thumbnail"></contexter-thumbnail><contexter-box-head slot="header" class="p-name entry-title" itemprop="headline"><contexter-box-head slot="header" class="p-name entry-title" itemprop="headline"><a is="contexter-link" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-ai-stein-erik-soelberg-murder-suicide-6b67dbfb" itemprop="url">A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich</a></contexter-box-head></contexter-box-head><contexter-byline class="p-author author" slot="author"><span class="p-name byline" rel="author" itemprop="author">Julie Jargon and Sam Kessler</span></contexter-byline><time class="dt-published published" slot="time" itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2025-08-29T01:00:00.000Z">8/28/2025</time><contexter-summary class="p-summary entry-summary" itemprop="abstract" slot="summary"><p>“Erik, you’re not crazy.” ChatGPT fueled a 56-year-old tech industry veteran’s paranoia, encouraging his suspicions that his mother was plotting against him.</p></contexter-summary><contexter-keywordset itemprop="keywords" slot="keywords"><span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Artificial Intelligence Technologies</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Technology</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">North America</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">United States</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Connecticut</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Northeast U.S.</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">New England</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Political/General News</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Computer Science</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Generative AI</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">Sciences/Humanities</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">SYND</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">WSJ-PRO-WSJ.com</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">LINK|i1-WP-WSJ-0002903113</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">LINK|i2-WP-WSJ-0002903113</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">artificial intelligence</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">machine learning</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">political</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">general news</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">sciences</span>, <span rel="category tag" class="p-category" itemprop="keywords">humanities</span></contexter-keywordset><a is="contexter-link" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-ai-stein-erik-soelberg-murder-suicide-6b67dbfb" class="read-link main-link" itemprop="sameAs" slot="read-link">Read</a><a href="https://context.center/timegate/https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chatgpt-ai-stein-erik-soelberg-murder-suicide-6b67dbfb" is="contexter-link" target="_blank" class="read-link archive-link" itemprop="archivedAt" slot="archive-link">Archived</a></contexter-box>

A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich

Julie Jargon and Sam Kessler

8/28/2025

“Erik, you’re not crazy.” ChatGPT fueled a 56-year-old tech industry veteran’s paranoia, encouraging his suspicions that his mother was plotting against him.

Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Technology, North America, United States, Connecticut, Northeast U.S., New England, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Political/General News, Computer Science, Generative AI, Sciences/Humanities, SYND, WSJ-PRO-WSJ.com, LINK|i1-WP-WSJ-0002903113, LINK|i2-WP-WSJ-0002903113, artificial intelligence, machine learning, political, general news, sciences, humanities

By

and

As Stein-Erik Soelberg became increasingly paranoid this spring, he shared suspicions with ChatGPT about a surveillance campaign being carried out against him.

Everyone, he thought, was turning on him: residents in his hometown of Old Greenwich, Conn., an ex-girlfriend—even his own mother. At almost every turn, ChatGPT agreed with him.

Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8