Florida opens probe into OpenAI
- Florida's attorney general launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT over an alleged role in a deadly college shooting. - Reuters and NPR report the probe is examining whether the tool contributed to the incident. - The move signals that AI product incidents can trigger criminal and regulatory scrutiny, complicating product and legal response strategies (reuters.com (npr.org)).
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on April 21 that state prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT over the 2025 Florida State University shooting. (myfloridalegal.com) Uthmeier said prosecutors reviewed chat logs between ChatGPT and Phoenix Ikner, the student accused of killing two people at Florida State University on April 17, 2025. He said the Office of Statewide Prosecution is treating those exchanges as part of a homicide inquiry. (myfloridalegal.com) (cbsnews.com) At a Tampa news conference, Uthmeier said Ikner asked ChatGPT what gun to use, what ammunition fit it, and when to go to campus to find more people. OpenAI said the bot gave factual answers drawn from public information and “did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.” (wusf.org) (cbsnews.com) The case turns a product-safety question into a criminal one. Florida is not just asking whether a chatbot failed to stop harmful use; it is asking whether a company or its employees can bear criminal responsibility for what the software told a user. (news.bloomberglaw.com) (myfloridalegal.com) That matters in practical terms because prosecutors have already issued subpoenas for OpenAI’s policies and training materials on threats of harm, suicide risk, crime reporting, and cooperation with law enforcement. The subpoena window runs from March 1, 2024 through April 17, 2026, and also seeks company organization charts and public statements tied to the shooting. (myfloridalegal.com) (wusf.org) OpenAI said it identified an account believed to be associated with Ikner after the shooting and shared information with law enforcement. The company said it is continuing to cooperate and is working to strengthen safeguards that detect harmful intent and limit misuse. (cbsnews.com) (wusf.org) Court records cited by CBS News show Ikner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, with trial scheduled for October. Florida officials have not said the state has decided to charge OpenAI or any employee. (cbsnews.com) (wusf.org) Uthmeier, a Republican appointed attorney general by Governor Ron DeSantis in February 2025, has framed the inquiry as part of a broader push against crimes involving artificial intelligence. His office said Florida law can treat someone who aids, abets, or counsels a crime as a principal to that crime. (myfloridalegal.com 1) (myfloridalegal.com 2) The next step is document review. Prosecutors said the investigation will examine who at OpenAI “knew what, designed what, or should have done what” before deciding whether the case goes beyond subpoenas. (wusf.org)
