A man stalked a professor for six years. Then he used AI chatbots to lure strangers to her home | Technology
- A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to a chilling seven-year cyberstalking campaign that utilized artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to impersonate a university professor, inviting men to...
- James Florence, 36, employed platforms like Crushon.ai and JanitorAI to create chatbots, directing them to engage in sexually suggestive conversations with users.
- Florence, a former friend of the victim, went to extreme lengths to invade her privacy.
Man Pleads Guilty to Seven-Year AI-Driven Cyberstalking Campaign
A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to a chilling seven-year cyberstalking campaign that utilized artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to impersonate a university professor, inviting men to her home for sexual encounters. This is believed to be the first case where a stalker has been indicted for using a chatbot to facilitate such crimes.
James Florence, 36, employed platforms like Crushon.ai and JanitorAI to create chatbots, directing them to engage in sexually suggestive conversations with users. He fed these AI programs the victim’s personal information, including her home address, and even instructed them to answer in the affirmative when asked about sexual adventurism or preferences in underwear. Several users, responding to the chatbot’s invitation to "come over," showed up at the woman’s driveway, causing her and her husband significant distress.
Florence, a former friend of the victim, went to extreme lengths to invade her privacy. He stole her underwear from her home, used its photographs in online sexual fantasy forums, and created fake social media accounts, emails, and websites impersonating her with explicit, manipulated images and personal details.
In a disturbing escalation, Florence also posed as a family member, leaving a voicemail claiming her father had died in a car accident, causing the professor to fear for her family’s safety. The stalking and harassment were so severe that the couple installed security cameras and door alarms, and the professor now carries defensive tools due to their physical anxieties.
Court documents reveal Florence targeted six other women and a 17-year-old girl similarly, digitally altering their pictures to exploit them online. Experts warn this misuse of AI for sexual harassment and exploitation, including of children, is on the rise. A recent report by Thorn, a child safety non-profit, found about one in 10 US minors know of cases where peers used AI to create non-consensual intimate images of others.
Florence faces seven counts of cyberstalking and one count of possession of child pornography. His sentencing hearing is set for later this year.