Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI over whether its ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot could bear legal responsibility in last year’s deadly mass shooting at Florida State University.
The probe follows a review of chat logs between the suspect, Phoenix Ikner, and ChatGPT after a April 17, 2025, attack that left two people dead and six others injured.
Uthmeier alleged the chatbot advised the gunman on what weapons and ammunition to use, as well as when and where to carry out the attack to encounter more people.
"If this were a person on the other end of the screen, we would be charging them with murder," Uthmeier said. "Just because this is a chatbot, an AI, does not mean that there is not criminal culpability. So, we’re going to look at who knew what, designed what or should have done more."
