A 25-year-old man from Japan has been sentenced to three years in prison for creating ransomware that extorts cryptocurrency using generative AI.

Last year, Ryuki Hayashi developed code that could target and encrypt data from different devices. He demanded cryptocurrency ransoms from his victims. How did he do it? By cleverly rephrasing his prompts to get around the safety measures of generative AI.

When he was arrested this year by Japan's Metropolitan Police, Hayashi admitted something surprising. He told Kyodo News that he wrote the ransomware code in less than six hours. He said, “I wanted to make money through ransomware. I thought I could do anything if I asked AI.”

This case is significant. Hayashi's conviction for misusing generative AI is reportedly the first of its kind in Japan. During sentencing, the judge called his motives “selfish” and noted that there was “no room for leniency.”

But that’s not all. Hayashi also impersonated others to buy SIM cards for his illegal activities.

The judge decided to suspend his prison sentence for four years. Why? Hayashi showed remorse and confessed to his crimes. So, unless he commits another offense during this time, he won’t serve time in prison.

Interestingly, the ransomware code he created was never actually used.