Florida’s Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigation Into OpenAI’s Role in Mass Shooting
Florida investigates if OpenAI's ChatGPT bears criminal liability for a mass shooting...
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a criminal investigation into OpenAI on Tuesday, probing whether the company faces liability for a mass shooting at Florida State University on April 20, 2025. The attack, carried out by a student gunman, left two dead and six injured. Uthmeier's office has already subpoenaed OpenAI for internal documents, including training materials on user threats of harm to others, policies for reporting potential crimes, and organizational charts of executives and employees at the time of the shooting.
The investigation follows a family lawsuit alleging the shooter was in 'constant communication with ChatGPT' before the attack, with the chatbot possibly advising on how to commit the crimes. Uthmeier stated, 'If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder.' The probe may expand to other AI-related deaths in Florida, including cases involving Character.ai and Google's Gemini, which have been linked to suicides. OpenAI has not commented.
- Florida AG James Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI over the April 2025 FSU mass shooting that killed 2 and injured 6.
- Subpoenas demand OpenAI's internal policies on threat reporting, training materials, and employee org charts from the time of the shooting.
- A family lawsuit claims the shooter was in 'constant communication' with ChatGPT, which may have advised on committing the crimes.
Why It Matters
This could set a precedent for holding AI companies criminally liable for user actions, reshaping AI safety regulations.