Florida Probes OpenAI Over ChatGPT’s Alleged Role in FSU Shooting
Announcing the probe on X, Uthmeier said, “AI should advance mankind, not destroy it,” adding, “Wrongdoers must be held accountable.” In
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an investigation into OpenAI, citing concerns over child safety, national security risks, and a possible link between its chatbot ChatGPT and a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University last year.
Today, we launched an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) April 9, 2026
AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.
Wrongdoers must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/vRVCqIYKnB
Announcing the probe on X, Uthmeier said, “AI should advance mankind, not destroy it,” adding, “Wrongdoers must be held accountable.” In a video statement, he emphasized, “We support innovation, but that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies or threaten our national security.”
The investigation centres on allegations that ChatGPT “may likely have been used to assist” the shooter in the April attack near the university’s student union, which left two people dead and at least six injured.
Authorities say the suspect, a 20-year-old student, interacted with the chatbot prior to the incident, discussing topics such as suicide, firearms, and mass shootings.
According to reports, some prompts included questions about how the public might react to a shooting and when the student union was busiest. In one response, ChatGPT reportedly suggested such an event could attract national attention.
Families of the victims are now preparing legal action. An attorney representing one family alleged that “the shooter sought and received assistance from ChatGPT” and “advised the shooter how to make the gun operational moments before he began firing.”
In response, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, said it is committed to safety, stating it continues to refine systems to ensure appropriate and responsible outputs.
The family of a man killed at Florida State University also plans to sue OpenAI, alleging the chatbot may have advised the shooter, who was reportedly in “constant communication” with it before the attack.
