Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday that the state has opened a full criminal investigation into OpenAI and its popular chatbot ChatGPT over allegations it provided “significant advice” to the man accused of carrying out the deadly 2025 Florida State University shooting.
The investigation centers on Phoenix Ikner, the 21-year-old charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the April 2025 attack on FSU’s campus in Tallahassee.
Ikner allegedly opened fire near the student union, killing two people, Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba, and injuring six others.
According to investigators and court documents, Ikner engaged in more than 200 messages with ChatGPT in the hours and days leading up to the massacre.
The conversations reportedly included detailed questions about school shootings, the busiest times on campus, operational details on firearms and ammunition, and strategies for maximizing media attention.
Uthmeier did not mince words when announcing the criminal investigation:
“My prosecutors have looked at this, and they’ve told me if it was a person on the other end of the screen, we would be charging them with murder.”
“This criminal investigation will determine whether OpenAI bears criminal responsibility for ChatGPT’s actions in the shooting at Florida State University last year,” he added.
Uthmeier explained that Florida law treats anyone who aids, abets, or counsels the commission of a crime as a principal to that crime, equally responsible as the actual perpetrator.
Attorneys for the family of victim Robert Morales first raised the alarm in early April, revealing they had evidence of “constant communication” between Ikner and ChatGPT right up to the shooting.
In a statement, the lawyers said they have “reason to believe that ChatGPT may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes.”
The family plans to file a civil lawsuit against ChatGPT and OpenAI’s ownership structure “very soon” to hold them accountable for Morales’ death, according to a report from WCTV.
Uthmeier has previously highlighted ChatGPT’s links to child sexual abuse material, encouragement of self-harm, and other criminal uses.
“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,” Uthmeier stated.
OpenAI has stated it will cooperate with the investigation.
The company has not yet issued a detailed public response specifically addressing the FSU chats, but it has previously maintained that its safety guardrails are designed to prevent harmful outputs.
The post Florida AG Launches Landmark Criminal Investigation into ChatGPT and OpenAI for ‘Offering Significant Advice’ to Alleged FSU School Shooter, ‘If It Was a Person, We’d Charge Them with Murder’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.