Man used ChatGPT to flee from war in most 'insane use of AI yet'

While there are continued fears about what the evolution of artificial intelligence will mean for the human race, there are some instances where people are proving that it can be used for good.

Even though many are worried that artificial intelligence will take our jobs, turn against its human overlords, or even be the last thing humanity invents, there are some genuine positives. Alongside potentially detecting cancer earlier and the ability to address global challenges while driving innovation across industries, there's the fact that the world could actually fall apart if we eradicated AI.

Now, Reuters has reported how a Palestinian man used ChatGPT and over a year of patience to escape the war in Gaza. The outlet expands on Muhammad Abu Dakha's story, with the 31-year-old sharing videos, photographs, and audio files with Reuters. The site also interviewed him and his travel companions after they arrived in Italy, as well as the relatives they left behind in the Gaza Strip.

In April 2024, Abu Dakha paid $5,000 to cross the Rafah border into Egypt and then went on into China in hopes of securing asylum. Having no luck, he returned to Egypt via Malaysia and Indonesia, facing some 10 failed attempts at making it into Italy with smugglers.

Stumping up a further $5,000, Abu Dakha bought a Yamaha jet ski from a Libyan marketplace, as well as spending $1,500 on equipment, including a GPS and satellite phones.

Joined by two other Palestinians, Abu Dakha drove the jet ski for around 12 hours a day, towing a dinghy that had extra supplies, and having to chase off a Tunisian patrol boat.

ChatGPT comes into the frame because the trio used OpenAI's chatbot to figure out how much fuel they would need. Still, they ran out of fuel just 20km from the Mediterranean Sea's Lampedusa island. They were able to call for help, and following a rescue, they made land on August 18. See, it's not just breaking protocols and romancing AI that you can use ChatGPT for.

Abu Dakha contacted Reuters from Lampedusa's migrant camp, but when being transferred by bus to Genoa, the trio escaped.

After hiding in the bushes for a few hours, Abu Dakha bought a low-cost plane ticket from Genoa to Brussels. It was then a hop over to Cologne via train, before being picked up by a relative in Lower Saxony and being taken to the nearby Bramsche.

Over on Reddit, someone described it as the most 'insane' use of ChatGPT. Someone else added: "Seems like this guy can also just get a job out the gate if he gets a permit, because that’s some pretty respectable problem solving skill.

A third joked: "Thank god he didn't use Grok."

Abu Dhaka's family remains in a tent camp that's in southern Gaza's Khan Younis after their home was reportedly destroyed. Discussing his son's escape, Intesar Khouder Abu Dakha said: "He had an internet shop, and his work, thank God, was comfortable financially and everything. He had built things up, and it all collapsed."

Muhammad Abu Dhaka now hopes to secure asylum in Germany, although Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees refused to comment. The plan is to bring his wife and two children over to Germany, with Abu Dakha explaining they're the reason he made the perilous journey with the help of ChatGPT: "That's why I risked my life on a jet ski. Without my family, life has no meaning."