The use of AI (artificial intelligence) has been rampant over the past few years, with some debating its appropriate use. But one man in California used the AI tool ChatGPT and Google to help track down his stolen Lamborghini Huracán, and it worked.
Andrew Garcia, a resident of Orange County, had his Lamborghini stolen in 2023 after nearly two dozen high-end cars were reportedley stolen in a theft ring. The cars had been rented but never returned, with thieves having allegedly erased the original owners titles. They were then sold.
Despite a majority of the vehicles having been tracked down and recovered, Garcia’s Lamborghini was not one of them. Telling CBS 8, Garcia explained he had one day received an Instagram message asking if he had sold his car, with photos of the Lamborghini attached.
The messenger had found Garcia’s business card in the car and assumed he dealt in luxury cars, hoping he could be the one to contact for more. After seeing the photos of his missing car, Garcia had the idea of using ChatGPT and Google to help pinpoint its location.
“I figured, let’s use ChatGPT, let’s see how strong this thing is, use Google, the actual Google app that pinpoints, give you the longitude and latitude of different locations,” said Garcia.
Using the AI tool, he gave it specific instructions to only focus on the background behind the car. The details the AI tool provided helped Garcia discover that his stolen Lamborghini was in Denver, Colorado.
Garcia contacted local authorities about his stolen vehicle and was able to recover it.
“This proactive intelligence gathering is a really great benefit to helping recover stolen vehicles,” said Cale Gould, a spokesperson for the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority.
An further investigation into who was in possession of Garcia’s car in Colorado is still ongoing, while two of the alleged people invovled in the original theft are facing charges.
