The ChatGPT chatbot assisted U.S. authorities in identifying a suspect in the deadly Pacific Palisades fire that swept through the Los Angeles area last January.

Authorities arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, this week, with ChatGPT providing some key evidence in the case.

Officials noted that Rinderknecht asked the AI-powered chatbot to create a strange and dystopian image (depicting a dark and bleak future) that might indicate his possible motives, according to a report by the technology news site “Mashable,” reviewed by Al Arabiya Business.

Rinderknecht requested ChatGPT to generate an image described as: “A dystopian painting divided into distinct parts that seamlessly merge together. On the far left, there is a burning forest. Next to it, a crowd of people runs away from the fire, heading toward the center. In the center, hundreds of thousands of poor people try to pass through a huge gate marked with a large dollar sign. On the other side of the gate and along the entire wall, there is a gathering of the richest people. They are relaxed, watching the world burn, seeing people struggle. They laugh, enjoy themselves, and dance. The scene is detailed and powerful, highlighting the sharp contrast and direct connection between different parts of the world.”

The Pacific Palisades fire was massively destructive; it claimed 12 lives, destroyed over 6,000 homes, burned 23,000 acres of land, and ultimately caused damages worth $150 billion.

Authorities believe the fire originally started due to an ember buried from the previous Lakeman fire, which broke out on New Year’s Day.

Authorities claim Rinderknecht’s location was precisely identified in a hidden area atop a hill where the fire started and timed on January 1. Rinderknecht was in that area on New Year’s Eve working as an Uber driver, according to a Department of Justice press release.

The complaint against him alleges he dropped off passengers around midnight on December 31, then drove to the Scal Rock trailhead, where the fire broke out minutes after midnight.

Phone data allegedly showed he tried to call emergency number 911 around that time but was unsuccessful for a period due to poor coverage.

ChatGPT also played a role in the case; officials say that at about the same time, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT: “Would you be responsible if a fire started because of your cigarettes?”

Investigators claimed Rinderknecht “wanted to keep evidence of his attempt to help extinguish the fire and wanted to create evidence of a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire.”