Florida's Attorney General announces criminal investigation into OpenAI

Artificial intelligenceFlorida's attorney general announces criminal investigation into OpenAI James Uthmeier said OpenAI’s ChatGPT offered detailed advice to the suspect in the 2025 FSU mass shooting, including what type of gun to use. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00OpenAI website displayed on a laptop screen in Krakow, Poland on Thursday.Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 21, 2026, 10:29 AM EDTBy Jared Perlo and Abigail BrooksFlorida’s attorney general said his office was issuing subpoenas to OpenAI on Tuesday morning, seeking information about how the leading AI company approaches user threats of harm to themselves and to others.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The subpoenas are part of a new criminal investigation into the company, James Uthmeier said in a press conference. The actions are an escalation from his previously announced probe of the artificial intelligence company, which he said will continue as a civil investigation alongside the newly announced criminal investigation. On April 9, Uthmeier announced he would launch an investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT tool over national security and safety concerns. Among other concerns, he is investigating whether ChatGPT provided any planning assistance to the alleged gunman in the Florida State University mass shooting that left two people dead in April last year.“We have been looking into the recent FSU shooting, and that shooter’s communications with ChatGPT,” Uthmeier said in a press conference Tuesday morning. “Our review of that communication has revealed that a criminal investigation is necessary.”“ChatGPT offered significant advice to the shooter before he committed such heinous crimes,” Uthmeier said, adding “that the chatbot advised the shooter on what type of gun to use, on which ammo went with which gun, on whether or not a gun would be useful in short range.” Fl...