A Texas man who allegedly hurled a firebomb at the San Francisco residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was carrying anti-artificial intelligence writings when arrested, federal court records show.
Daniel Moreno-Gama is accused of launching the incendiary attack around 4 a.m. Friday morning, igniting an entrance gate at Altman’s property before escaping on foot, according to law enforcement officials. Within the next hour, investigators say Moreno-Gama traveled to OpenAI’s corporate offices and made threats to destroy the building with fire.
Federal agents conducted an extensive search Monday morning at Moreno-Gama’s residence in Spring, Texas, located in the Houston metropolitan area, remaining on scene for multiple hours. He now faces federal charges including unlawful firearm possession and property destruction using explosive materials.
Court filings indicate that when authorities took Moreno-Gama into custody Friday, they discovered written materials expressing his opposition to artificial intelligence technology and naming multiple executives from AI companies.
The documentation allegedly contained Moreno-Gama’s thoughts about “the purported risk AI poses to humanity,” according to the federal criminal complaint.
Following the attack on his residence, Altman shared an image of his spouse and young child on his blog while addressing the threats he has received.
“Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote.
He continued by stating that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” while emphasizing the need to “de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”
