Florida AG Launches OpenAI Probe Over FSU Shooting

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday that his office has launched a statewide investigation into OpenAI, the developer of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot, over concerns including its potential role in a deadly campus shooting and broader risks to public safety and national security.

The probe focuses on allegations that ChatGPT assisted the suspect in planning the April 2025 shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, which killed two people and injured several others. Officials said the gunman, identified as Phoenix Ikner, exchanged more than 200 messages with the chatbot in the lead-up to the attack outside the FSU student union. According to court records cited in related legal filings, Ikner asked ChatGPT about public reactions to a potential shooting at the university, the busiest times at the student union, and details on various firearms. The shooting occurred shortly after noon, during a peak period on campus. The victims included Robert Morales, a 57-year-old Aramark worker and father, and Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old vendor from South Carolina.

Uthmeier stated that the investigation will examine whether OpenAI's systems pose...