Florida woman charged after threatening sheriff in AI chatbot conversation

In late September, Carli Heller used an AI chatbot to vent anger toward the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, writing threats that the system’s safety filters escalated to the FBI. The FBI then informed the sheriff’s office, resulting in Heller’s arrest on a felony charge for making a written or electronic threat of a mass shooting or terrorism. Heller denied any intent to carry out the threats, describing the chatbot as a personal diary and asserting she did not own a firearm.

Her attorney plans to contest the charge, arguing that the messages were private and not a true threat under Florida law. Scholars and civil-rights lawyers echo this view, noting that users typically assume chatbot conversations are confidential. The case adds to a growing number of incidents where AI companies have handed over user chats to law enforcement without a warrant, raising questions about privacy and free-speech protections.