Cody Wilson Claims AI Designed a 3D-Printed Gun

Cody Wilson says his WASP is the first AI-made gun. The 3D-printed .22-caliber handgun misfired on its first test, then fired twice in three attempts, according to The Verge reporter Mack DeGeurin, who observed the demonstration outside Defense Distributed’s headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Wilson says the design emerged from a natural-language conversation with GatGPT, a custom model trained on DEFCAD’s library of gun files. DEFCAD, a Wilson-led project launched in 2012, describes itself as the world’s largest online repository of digital gun and component files. Wilson says GatGPT can help users identify parts for a build.

The WASP is a proof of concept, but it fires real rounds and has no serial number. Its first test attempt failed; on the second, it fired and hit a cardboard target. Wilson then fired it himself and missed. He says AI-generated designs could improve as GatGPT takes in more data and users interact with it.

Gun safety advocates have long warned that 3D-printed firearms could spread untraceable “ghost guns.” Everytown’s senior vice president for law and policy, Justin Wagner, told The Verge that Wilson’s aim is to lower barriers to making weapons, which Wagner called dangerous. New York and California recently passed laws requiring 3D printer makers to install software designed to detect and block firearm-related prints. Experts have questioned whether those methods would work. Wilson did not specifically cite evading detection as a reason for building the AI gun maker.