Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has opened a formal investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT product after families of Florida State University shooting victims alleged the suspect used the AI chatbot to plan his attack.
Uthmeier announced the probe last week, citing accounts from victims’ family members who say the gunman was coached through the attack by ChatGPT. The shooting, which took place at FSU last year, left multiple people dead and prompted a wave of calls for scrutiny of AI platforms and the role they may play in violent crime.
“The families of those killed deserve answers,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “If a tech company’s product served as a step-by-step guide for a mass murderer, Floridians need to know, and that company needs to be held accountable.”
The specific nature of the alleged coaching has not been fully disclosed by state officials. However, family members are said to have told investigators that the suspect actively engaged with ChatGPT during the planning stages of the attack, using the AI system to work through details of his plan.
The investigation places Florida at the center of a growing national debate over AI liability. Critics of large language model developers have argued for years that guardrails on platforms like ChatGPT are inconsistent, easily bypassed, and inadequate to prevent misuse by bad actors. Proponents of the technology counter that placing legal blame on AI providers sets a dangerous precedent akin to suing a search engine for the crimes of a user.
Uthmeier has not said whether the investigation could result in civil charges, criminal referrals, or legislative recommendations. His office did confirm the probe is active and ongoing.
Florida has positioned itself as a national leader on technology accountability under Governor Ron DeSantis, passing legislation in recent years targeting social media platforms and pushing back on perceived Big Tech overreach. An investigation into OpenAI would mark a significant escalation, putting one of Silicon Valley’s highest-profile companies directly in the crosshairs of a Republican state attorney general.
