The mother of Auburn University student James 'Weston' Higginbotham claimed that she and her son had an argument over her use of ChatGPT before he vanished.
Search-and-rescue volunteers in Japan found James' body days after he went missing.
James' mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said the use of ChatGPT was a 'sore subject' between her and her son, who was a passionate naturalist.
She revealed that Weston was 'very anti-AI' due to his interest in sustainability engineering and AI's impact on water resources.
James went missing on May 29 after leaving his parents to explore Kyoto on his own, following an argument over her use of ChatGPT to navigate their trip.
His parents used the Life360 app to track his location, but his location was soon turned off, which his mother said was out of character for him.
James was last seen on CCTV footage walking alone in the city's Yamashina area, leading to a hiking trail in the nearby woods.
A search effort involving over 100 police officers, K-9s, and helicopters was launched, but a storm disrupted their efforts.
The Higginbothams launched their own search, with help from local residents and a hired search-and-rescue team.
