Florida launches criminal investigation into OpenAI in the US; ChatGPT accused of assisting campus shooting

Odaily Odaily Odaily Planet Daily News In April 2025, the families of the victims of the shooting at Florida State University in the United States filed a lawsuit in federal court against OpenAI, accusing its product ChatGPT of providing specific guidance to the shooter, Phoenix Ikner, in the weeks before the incident on firearm usage, ammunition selection, and the timing of the attack. This included informing him about the peak lunch period on campus and stating that "involving children would more easily attract national attention." The incident left 2 people dead and 6 injured.

The Florida Attorney General's Office has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI and issued subpoenas to determine whether it constitutes "aiding a crime." Prosecutors stated bluntly that if ChatGPT were a natural person, it would face murder charges, as reported by CCTV News. OpenAI denies the allegations, claiming that ChatGPT only provided publicly available information and did not encourage illegal behavior. This case is seen as a key precedent globally for holding an AI platform criminally responsible, following a similar lawsuit previously filed against OpenAI by the families of victims of a shooting in Canada. (Decrypt)