Crime & Courts

Japanese Man Convicted of Making Virus Using AI; Likely 1st Person in Japan to be Convicted in Criminal Case for Abusing Generative AI

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Ryuki Hayashi’s computer and smartphones that were used to make a computer virus are shown after they were confiscated by the Metropolitan Police Department, in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on May 28.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, October 27, 2024

A 25-year-old man was found guilty of making a computer virus and was given a three-year prison sentence, which will be suspended for four years, on Friday. The virus was created through the use of interactive generative artificial intelligence.

The Tokyo District Court convicted Ryuki Hayashi of making illegal digital records. Prosecutors sought a four-year prison sentence.

It is likely the first time in Japan that a person was found guilty in a criminal case for abusing generative AI.

According to the ruling and other sources, Hayashi made the ransomware-like virus at his home in Kawasaki using his computer and smartphones around March 31, 2023.

He made the virus based on illegal computer program source codes, which he obtained through the use of interactive generative AI.

He also allegedly purchased SIM cards under names of other people.