Florida authorities are investigating ChatGPT's advice to a shooter at a university
Florida Attorney General James Utmeier announced the launch of a criminal investigation into OpenAI. The investigation was prompted by allegations that the chatbot allegedly provided advice to a man suspected of carrying out a shooting at Florida State University.
The Washington Post reports on this.
According to the attorney general, the incident in question occurred in April 2025 in Tallahassee, where two people were killed and six others were injured. The suspect, Phoenix Ikner, has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Utmeyer stated that the chatbot allegedly provided the user with information about weapons and types of ammunition, as well as recommendations regarding the time and location of a potential attack.
“The chatbot gave the shooter advice on which weapons to use, which ammunition fits which weapon, and whether the weapon would be effective at close range. If there had been a person on the other side of the screen, we would have charged them with murder,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor’s office also sent subpoenas to OpenAI demanding documents regarding the company’s policies in cases where users may pose a threat.
OpenAI denied responsibility for the tragedy. Spokesperson Kate Waters stated that ChatGPT did not encourage or support illegal activity.
According to her, the system only provided information that was available in open sources.
“ChatGPT is not responsible for this horrific crime… we proactively shared information with law enforcement,” she noted.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
As a reminder, in Providence, the capital of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, a suspect was arrested in connection with the shooting at Brown University, which left two people dead.
The United States is temporarily suspending the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV1) program. The decision was made following the shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, as the attacker entered the U.S. through this very program and subsequently received a green card.
