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“We cannot have AI bots advising people on how to kill others,” expressed James Uthmeier. “That is wrong, and that is dangerous.”
TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced the launch of a criminal investigation into OpenAI and its chatbot, ChatGPT, following allegations that a student used the technology to orchestrate a deadly shooting at Florida State University.
In a news conference held Tuesday morning in Tampa, Uthmeier stated that ChatGPT allegedly provided the suspect with guidance on executing the shooting. The AI reportedly advised on the optimal time of day for the attack, identified crowded areas on campus, and recommended specific firearms and ammunition suitable for short-range effectiveness.
The attorney general emphasized that if this advice had come from a human, it would result in murder charges.
“If that bot were a person,” Uthmeier remarked, “they would be charged as a principal in first-degree murder.”
Uthmeier’s office is now issuing subpoenas to find information on OpenAI’s policies and internal training materials between March 1, 2024, and April 17, 2026, regarding user threats of harm to others on the platform, harm to themselves and cooperation with law enforcement to report on crimes.
“We’ll also be looking if multiple policies were in place during this time period, how they may have changed and all policies and dates of change surrounding these events,” Uthmeier said. “Just because this is a chat about an AI does not mean that there is not criminal culpability.”
The shooting, which took place in April 2025, left two men dead and several others injured.
The suspect, Phoenix Ikner, is behind bars as the state attorney’s office has said it will seek the death penalty.
Attorneys representing one of the victims in that shooting have already filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. In court filings, they say they have “reason to believe that ChatGPT may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes.”
Uthmeier first announced an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT earlier this month, citing concerns about privacy, national security and potential links to criminal activity.
ChatGPT is also referenced in court documents tied to a separate case involving suspects accused of planting an improvised explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base. Investigators allege the suspect’s sister helped him escape, and court filings state she used ChatGPT to ask whether the vehicle involved could be tracked and to seek information about visas for China, where the suspect ultimately fled.
“We cannot have AI bots that are advising people on how to kill others,” Uthmeier said. “That is wrong, and that is dangerous.”
In a statement provided to 10 Tampa Bay News, OpenAI maintained that “ChatGPT is not responsible” for the deadly FSU shooting:
“Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime. After learning of the incident, we identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect and proactively shared this information with law enforcement. We continue to cooperate with authorities. In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity. ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes. We work continuously to strengthen our safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse, and respond appropriately when safety risks arise.”