Florida AG launches criminal investigation into ChatGPT over FSU shooting

Technology Florida AG launches criminal investigation into ChatGPT over FSU shooting April 21, 20264:02 PM ET By  Tristan Wood ,  Shannon Bond Police investigate the scene of a shooting near the student union at Florida State University on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida. Two people were killed and five injured in the attack. Florida's attorney general is now investigating OpenAI because the alleged shooter used ChatGPT to help plan the attack. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images Florida's attorney general is launching a criminal investigation into ChatGPT and its parent company OpenAI over claims that the accused gunman in a shooting at Florida State University last year consulted the AI chatbot before killing two people and injuring five more. National Gunman kills 2, wounds 6 others during a shooting at Florida State University The Republican attorney general, James Uthmeier, said at a press conference in Tampa on Tuesday that accused gunman Phoenix Ikner consulted ChatGPT for advice before the shooting, including what type of gun to use, what ammunition went with it, and what time to go to campus to encounter more people, according to an initial review of Ikner's chat logs. "My prosecutors have looked at this and they've told me, if it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder," Uthmeier said. "We cannot have AI bots that are advising people on how to kill others." Sponsor Message Mental Health AI chatbots upended their lives. Now they're finding support from each other OpenAI spokesperson Kate Waters said in a written statement to NPR: "Last year's mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime." She said the company reached out to share information about the alleged shooter's account with law enforcement after the shooting and continues to cooperate with authoriti...