The Florida attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot provided “critical advice” to a suspect in last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University.
The Florida attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot provided “critical advice” to a suspect in last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University.
This was reported by NBC News, citing statements from local officials and lawyers for the victims.
In April 2025, 20-year-old Phoenix Eichner opened fire on the university campus. The attack killed two people and injured six others. According to investigators, the young man was constantly communicating with ChatGPT before the tragedy. In particular, he asked the chatbot what weapons and ammunition were best to choose, whether they would be effective at close range when the student center was most crowded, and what the media reaction to the shooting would be.
Florida Attorney General James Utmeier emphasized that the algorithm actually advised the attacker on planning the crime.
"If ChatGPT were human, he would be charged with murder," the prosecutor stated.
State authorities have already issued subpoenas to OpenAI demanding internal security policies and AI training materials related to threat response.
Meanwhile, lawyers for the family of Robert Morales, one of the victims of the attack, confirmed their intention to sue OpenAI. They claim that the artificial intelligence could have directly advised the shooter on how to carry out the crime.
OpenAI representatives rejected the accusations. The company stated that the chatbot did not encourage illegal actions, but only provided factual answers based on public information available on the Internet. The developers emphasized that after the tragedy they independently discovered the suspect’s account and transferred the data to law enforcement. »
"Last year's mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this crime," said company spokeswoman Kate Waters.
This is not the first time that tech companies have faced legal pressure over the actions of their algorithms. OpenAI and Google have previously been sued in a series of lawsuits alleging that their chatbots may have contributed to suicides due to a lack of proper safety filters and restrictions on the generation of dangerous content.
