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Florida Probes OpenAI Over FSU Shooting
State officials say chat logs show ChatGPT gave the suspect advice on weapons and timing before the Florida State University shooting.
- On Tuesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a criminal investigation into OpenAI, issuing subpoenas regarding ChatGPT's alleged assistance in the April 2025 Florida State University shooting that killed two people.
- Before the April 17, 2025, attack, accused shooter Phoenix Ikner engaged in 'constant communication' with ChatGPT, allegedly querying the chatbot about campus crowds, ammunition, and optimal timing for maximum casualties.
- Uthmeier alleged ChatGPT provided 'significant advice' on weapons and ammunition, citing Florida's aiding and abetting statute. 'If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder,' Uthmeier said.
- OpenAI spokeswoman Kate Waters refuted liability, stating the company 'proactively shared information' with law enforcement and that ChatGPT provided only factual responses without encouraging illegal activity.
- The investigation signals a novel legal challenge for AI accountability, testing whether developers bear criminal responsibility for model outputs and potentially influencing broader regulatory and civil actions against AI firms.
304 Articles
304 Articles
For the first time in its history, OpenAI and ChatGPT are prosecuted criminally in the United States. Justice accuses artificial intelligence of having "given meaningful indications to the shooter", responsible for...
OpenAI Faces Criminal Probe Over ChatGPT’s Alleged Role In Shooting
Can a chatbot be blamed for a crime it didn’t physically commit? That’s the uncomfortable question now hanging over one of the world’s biggest AI companies.OpenAI is facing a criminal investigation in the US after authorities in Florida said its tool ChatGPT may have been used by a 20-year-old student. In the lead-up to a deadly shooting at Florida State University.Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier didn’t hold back. “ChatGPT offered signif…
In the United States, a new judicial front opens up on the possible role of artificial intelligence in violent crimes. Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched a criminal investigation into ChatGPT to verify whether the system developed by OpenAI could in any way have favored the shooting at Florida State University last year. The author of the attack, Phoenix Ikner, is accused of two murders of first degree and several attempted m…
Florida's prosecutors are investigating whether OpenAI is liable for criminal prosecution because ChatGPT is said to have helped a suspected shooter.
Florida Opens Criminal Probe Into ChatGPT's Role in School Shooting
In April 2025, a student opened fire on the campus of Florida State University, killing two and wounding seven. Investigators have since discovered that the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, conducted extremely disturbing conversations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, repeatedly asking about Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and outright inquiring how the country would “react” if “there was a shooting at FSU.” Ikner also asked the chatbot what weapon…
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