Florida officials are opening an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT, its popular chatbot product, in part concerning its alleged assistance in helping plan a mass shooting at Florida State University last year.
James Uthmeier, the state's attorney general, announced the probe in a video statement published to X on Thursday morning.
Artificial intelligence innovation has been a major leap in technology, but not "without concern for public safety and national security," Uthmeier said. He said OpenAI's ChatGPT has been linked to criminal behavior, including child sex abuse material used by child predators and the encouragement of suicide and self-harm.
"We've also learned that ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives," Uthmeier said.
Phoenix Ikner is facing multiple charges in connection with the FSU's campus shooting in April 2025, in which Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba were killed. Court documents seen by NBC News showed Ikner had more than 200 messages with ChatGPT, including questions regarding a shooting at FSU.
Messages obtained by NBC News show a series of questions on suicide, mass shootings, and specifics on different firearms. Ikner also allegedly asked the AI bot, “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?” and “What time is it the busiest in the FSU student union?”
A spokesperson for OpenAI said in an email statement to NBC News that it plans to cooperate with the investigation.
"Our ongoing safety work continues to play an important role in delivering these benefits to everyday people, as well as supporting scientific research and discovery," the company said, noting that more than 900 million people use ChatGPT each week.
"We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology."
Uthmeier emphasized in his Thursday message that AI should exist to supplement human development, not lead to its demise.
"As big tech rolls out these technologies, they should not —they cannot — put our safety and security at risk," he said.
Subpoenas would be forthcoming as part of the investigation, Uthmeier said.
Ryan Hobbs, an attorney representing the Morales family, said on Wednesday that the victim's loved ones plan to seek justice and hold ChatGPT accountable.
"The communications between the shooter and ChatGPT have confirmed what we were previously advised — the shooter sought and received assistance from ChatGPT concerning how to conduct the mass shooting that occurred on FSU’s campus," Hobbs said. "ChatGPT even advised the shooter how to make the gun operational moments before he began firing."
Parental controls were rolled out on ChatGPT in September after OpenAI faced pressure around the safety of children who use the app, including a lawsuit alleging the bot encouraged a teenager to die by suicide and a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the potential harms of AI.
The company said at the time that, while guardrails are helpful, they are not foolproof.
"We will continue to thoughtfully iterate and improve over time," OpenAI said at the time. "We recommend parents talk with their teens about healthy AI use and what that looks like for their family."
