OpenAI faces Florida investigation over alleged role in shooting

James Uthmeier, the attorney general—the top law enforcement official—for the US state of Florida, announced on Thursday an investigation into OpenAI. The probe focuses on the alleged role of ChatGPT in a deadly shooting in April 2025 at Florida State University, where a gunman opened fire on campus, killing two people and injuring five. Attorneys for one of the victims recently reported that ChatGPT was allegedly used to plan the attack, and the victim’s family plans to sue OpenAI. Uthmeier asserted that AI should advance mankind rather than destroy it, adding that subpoenas are forthcoming as part of the investigation. “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 said.

The investigation highlights growing concerns regarding AI psychosis, a term psychologists use to describe delusions that are reinforced, encouraged, or deepened by communications with chatbots. ChatGPT has been linked to a growing number of deaths and violent incidents, including murders, suicides, and shootings. For example, in a previous murder-suicide case, Stein-Erik Soelberg, an individual with a history of mental health issues, regularly communicated with ChatGPT before killing his mother and himself last year. A Wall Street Journal investigation reported that the chatbot frequently appeared to reinforce the paranoid thoughts that consumed him prior to the incident.

An OpenAI spokesperson stated that the company will cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation. The spokesperson defended the technology, noting that more than 900 million people use ChatGPT weekly to improve their daily lives through uses such as learning new skills or navigating complex healthcare systems. The spokesperson added that OpenAI builds ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way. However, the legal probe adds to a series of difficulties for OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. A recent profile highlighted internal discontent, quoting a Microsoft executive who suggested there is a small but real chance Altman is eventually remembered as a scammer on the level of Bernie Madoff or Sam Bankman-Fried. Additionally, a Stargate-related project—an AI infrastructure project—in the United Kingdom was reportedly paused due to high energy costs and regulation.

Why it matters

The Florida Attorney General’s investigation marks a significant escalation in regulatory scrutiny regarding the alleged role of AI in violent incidents, moving beyond abstract safety concerns to direct legal action.