Mom of American missing in Japan says they argued over ChatGPT

CBS Mornings Mom of Auburn college student missing in Japan says they argued over ChatGPT before he disappeared .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-cbs-mornings.jpg'); } By Anna Coren, Anna Coren Foreign correspondent Anna Coren, CBS News foreign correspondent based in Hong Kong, is an Emmy Award-winning international correspondent who covers the Asia-Pacific region. Read Full Bio Anna Coren, Kelsie Hoffman June 5, 2026 / 12:47 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The mom of the American college student missing in Japan told CBS News the two had an argument over her use of ChatGPT on their vacation before he disappeared. James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student, has been missing since May 29.Nancy Higginbotham called the use of ChatGPT "a sore subject" between her and her son."I was using a little bit too much ChatGPT. Japan is a country that I've had a hard time navigating," she said. "Weston is very anti-AI because you know he's into sustainability engineering and AI uses a lot of water and is depleting a lot of water resources."Weston had decided to stay back while his parents and brother visited a nearby temple in Kyoto after lunch on May 29. That evening his parents saw his location move on a family tracking app and texted him, but didn't receive an answer. He was last seen leaving the Yamashina train station in Kyoto. His parents believe Weston, an avid hiker, was going to a nearby trail."My fear is that he, that he got hurt and that he's stuck," Nancy Higginbotham said. "My fear is that he doesn't have enough food because there is plenty of water, and that he's lost. Those mountains, that forest goes for a very long time and ... it's extremely dense." A family photo of James "Weston" Higginbotham of Alabama, who went missing near Kyoto, Japan, on May 29, 2026.  Nancy Higginbotham/Facebook Search effortsNancy Higginbotham said police are suspending...