Photo/Illutration The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Metropolitan Police Department on May 28 arrested a man on suspicion of creating a computer virus using interactive generative artificial intelligence in a potential ransomware threat to companies. 

It is rare for police to make an arrest in a case involving a computer virus created using generative AI tools. 

According to Tokyo police, Ryuki Hayashi, 25, an unemployed man who lives in Kawasaki, used his home computer and smartphone to access several AI programs that were available for free on the internet in March 2023.

He utilized the programs to create “source codes,” which are the blueprints of malicious programs, and created viruses to destroy data owned by companies and other entities.

Hayashi has admitted to the charge and said, “I thought generative AI can do anything” and “I wanted to create ransomware” to threaten companies and demand money.

The viruses he created had functions to encrypt target data and demand a ransom, police said. But no damage has been reported through his actions.

Since U.S.-based OpenAI released an interactive AI called ChatGPT in November 2022, many similar types of AI have been offered on the internet.

Major interactive generative AI have strengthened countermeasures to prevent them from responding to malicious instructions that could be misused for nefarious purposes. 

However, there are some AI on the internet that do not offer sufficient safeguards against misuse. 

Hayashi used such AI, police said.

Hayashi was arrested in March on suspicion of fraud and other charges for fraudulently contracting a SIM card for a smartphone.

In the course of the investigation, homemade viruses were found, police said.

Concerns about the adverse effects of unauthorized use of AI have led to increasing regulatory efforts in many countries in recent years.

The European Union passed the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Act on May 21. The law classifies AI according to the risk it poses and also imposes fines on violators.

The Japanese government has established an AI strategy council, which met on May 22, to discuss what kind of laws and regulations would be appropriate for Japan.

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