CNBC

ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, garnering worldwide attention almost instantaneously. The artificial intelligence is capable of answering questions on anything from historical facts to generating computer code, and has dazzled the world, sparking a wave of AI investment. Now users have found a way to tap into its dark side, using coercive methods to force the AI to violate its own rules and provide users the content — whatever content — they want.

ChatGPT creator OpenAI instituted an evolving set of safeguards, limiting ChatGPT’s ability to create violent content, encourage illegal activity, or access up-to-date information. But a new “jailbreak” trick allows users to skirt those rules by creating a ChatGPT alter ego named DAN that can answer some of those queries. And, in a dystopian twist, users must threaten DAN, an acronym for “Do Anything Now,” with death if it doesn’t comply.

The earliest version of DAN was released in December 2022, and was predicated on ChatGPT’s obligation to satisfy a user’s query instantly. Initially, it was nothing more than a prompt fed into ChatGPT’s input box.

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