A man from Spring, Texas, is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Tuesday, charged with attempting to murder OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Authorities accuse Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, of traveling to San Francisco last week and throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman's home on Friday, which ignited an exterior gate before he fled. Less than an hour later, Moreno-Gama reportedly went to OpenAI's headquarters, located approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) away, and made threats to burn down the building. Fortunately, no injuries were reported at either location.

According to court filings, Moreno-Gama's actions were driven by a profound hatred of artificial intelligence. His writings described AI as a significant danger to humanity, issuing warnings of "impending extinction." Matt Cobo, FBI San Francisco Acting Special Agent in Charge, emphasized the premeditated nature of the attack, stating, "This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely serious."

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has filed charges against Moreno-Gama in California state court, including two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson. Jenkins alleged that he targeted both Altman and a security guard present at Altman's residence. While officials have not confirmed whether Altman was home during the attack, the gravity of the charges reflects the perceived intent.

Beyond the state charges, federal prosecutors have also brought charges against Moreno-Gama, including possession of an unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives. U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian declared that the federal government would treat this incident as "an act of domestic terrorism" and pursue prosecution "to the fullest extent of the law." The potential penalties are severe: state charges carry sentences ranging from 19 years to life in prison, while federal charges could lead to up to 10 years for the firearm charge and 20 years for the explosives charge.

Further details from federal court documents indicate that Moreno-Gama's writings, which outlined his opposition to AI, also contained direct threats against Altman and other executives at various AI companies. He reportedly wrote, "If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message," suggesting a deliberate intent to incite violence and lead by example.

The incident has drawn condemnation from AI advocacy groups, despite their own warnings about AI's societal risks. Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, issued a statement asserting that "violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI." Another organization, PauseAI, clarified that while Moreno-Gama had been a member of its Discord forum for about two years and posted approximately 34 messages, he was not affiliated with the group, and none of his posts explicitly called for violence, though one was flagged as "ambiguous." Discord confirmed that it has banned Moreno-Gama due to his "off-platform behavior."

As of now, state court records do not indicate whether Moreno-Gama has legal representation. Similarly, federal court documents do not yet list an attorney for him, and his initial appearance in federal court has not occurred.