Taylor Frankie Paul ChatGPT twist hits Utah police probe
A Bluffdale officer consulted ChatGPT during a call involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen, according to 2KUTV.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
A Taylor Frankie Paul ChatGPT wrinkle has landed in the middle of her ongoing legal dispute with Dakota Mortensen after a Utah police officer turned to the AI tool during a June 5 call, according to 2KUTV.
The station reported that Bluffdale Police Officer Chad Cady responded after Mortensen and his roommate, Timothy Cru Eaton, contacted police. The call centered on Mortensen’s claim to officers that he believed Paul had hired a private investigator to follow him.
Police said that allegation mattered because a protective order involving Paul bars her from directly or indirectly stalking Mortensen. The issue for officers, according to the report, was whether using a private investigator could count as an indirect violation.
Why did police use ChatGPT in the Taylor Frankie Paul case?
Body camera footage reported by 2KUTV shows Cady using his phone to ask ChatGPT whether a private investigator could violate a protective order. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can generate answers to questions, but its responses can be inaccurate or incomplete.
According to police, officers also spoke with Christopher Gulbraa, who was identified as a private investigator. Officers said Gulbraa would not say who hired him or who he was following.
2KUTV reported that Bluffdale police policy allows officers to consult ChatGPT. The use of the tool in a live police matter drew sharp criticism from Greg Rogers, a retired FBI agent and criminal justice professor at Utah Valley University.
Rogers told 2KUTV it “couldn’t be more inappropriate.” He also told the station that officers have access to advanced computers in their patrol vehicles that can quickly bring up statutes, instead of relying on developing technology that may give wrong answers.
What are the protective orders between Paul and Mortensen?
TMZ reported that Paul and Mortensen each obtained protective orders against the other near the end of April. The orders are set to remain in place for three years, according to TMZ.
A protective order is a court order that can restrict contact or conduct between people. In this case, police said the order at issue prohibits Paul from directly or indirectly stalking Mortensen.
Paul and Mortensen have remained in the headlines since March, when TMZ published video of a 2023 argument between them. TMZ reported that the video showed Paul attacking Mortensen and that a child was struck during the incident.
The June 5 police response adds a new layer to the dispute, with the focus now partly on police tactics as much as the allegations that prompted the call. The key question raised by 2KUTV’s report is how far departments should go in letting officers use AI tools while assessing possible legal violations in the field.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.