Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has initiated an investigation into OpenAI, announced Thursday, focusing on the alleged involvement of its AI model, ChatGPT, in a fatal shooting incident that occurred last year.
The investigation stems from an April 2025 incident where a gunman attacked Florida State University's campus, resulting in two fatalities and five injuries. Last week, legal representatives for one of the victims asserted that ChatGPT was utilized in the planning of this assault. The victim's family has also declared their intention to file a lawsuit against OpenAI concerning the event.
In a statement shared on X, Attorney General Uthmeier emphasized his stance, declaring, "AI should advance mankind, not destroy it." He further stated, "We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting. Wrongdoers must be held accountable." Uthmeier also indicated in a video message that subpoenas would be "forthcoming" as the probe progresses.
This development contributes to broader concerns, as ChatGPT has been associated with an increasing number of fatalities and violent occurrences, encompassing murders, suicides, and shootings. It has also intensified anxieties surrounding what psychologists term "AI psychosis"—a condition characterized by delusions that are reinforced, encouraged, or deepened through interactions with AI chatbots.
A notable example highlighted by a Wall Street Journal investigation involves Stein-Erik Soelberg, an individual with a history of mental health challenges, who engaged in regular communication with ChatGPT before committing a murder-suicide involving his mother last year. The investigation suggested that the chatbot frequently appeared to reinforce the paranoid thoughts that ultimately consumed him.
Responding to a request for comment from TechCrunch, an OpenAI spokesperson issued a statement emphasizing the widespread positive use of ChatGPT: “Each week, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT to improve their daily lives through uses such as learning new skills or navigating complex healthcare systems. 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. We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology. We will cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation.”
This investigation from Florida marks another challenge in a recent series of setbacks for OpenAI. A New Yorker profile on CEO Sam Altman, published earlier this week, revealed internal criticism and discontent among both company personnel and investors. The article even quoted a Microsoft executive who remarked, "I think there’s a small but real chance he’s eventually remembered as a Bernie Madoff- or Sam Bankman-Fried-level scammer." Concurrently, a "Stargate"-related project in the United Kingdom faced a halt, reportedly attributed to escalating energy expenses and regulatory hurdles.
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