OpenAI and ChatGPT targeted by a criminal investigation in Florida, after a deadly shooting.

Phoenix Ikner, who killed two people in a shooting at Florida State University in April 2025, reportedly interacted with ChatGPT before the incident, according to the Florida prosecutor’s office.

Florida prosecutor James Uthmeier announced on Tuesday the opening of a criminal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT to shed light on the potential role that artificial intelligence (AI) interface could have played in a deadly attack in April 2025.

According to information gathered by prosecutors, Phoenix Ikner, a student at Florida State University, had exchanged messages with ChatGPT before shooting several people on campus, resulting in two deaths and six injuries. During a press conference, James Uthmeier explained that ChatGPT had “provided significant guidance to the shooter before he committed this heinous crime.”

The conversational bot had specifically suggested the suitable weapon, ammunition, timing, and locations to maximize the impact on people. Based on this information, Uthmeier stated, “Investigators told me that if that thing on the other side of the screen (ChatGPT) were a person, we would charge them with homicide.”

OpenAI responded to inquiries from AFP by stating that “ChatGPT was not responsible for this horrible crime” and that the interface was designed to provide “factual responses” to the student’s requests. They mentioned working on strengthening safeguards to “detect dangerous intent” and “respond appropriately in case of security risks.” The investigation announced on Tuesday does not preclude potential legal action against OpenAI or its members.

Context: Phoenix Ikner’s interaction with the AI platform ChatGPT raised questions about the responsibility of such interfaces in facilitating criminal acts.

Fact Check: OpenAI denied any responsibility for the crime and emphasized that ChatGPT is designed to provide factual responses. They also mentioned working on enhancing safety measures for such interactions.

Unknown Territory

Since the emergence of ChatGPT in November 2022, followed by competitors like Gemini (Google) and Claude (Anthropic), this new generation of interfaces has faced criticism for their perceived influence on certain users. Concerns have been raised by parents, researchers, and organizations regarding software that presents itself as virtual companions, particularly from companies like Character.AI and Replika.

Even though ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini are general-purpose products not intended to play a role, they have been utilized as such by many adolescents and adults. Civil lawsuits have been filed, mostly for suicide cases rather than homicides.

In January, Google and Character.AI settled with families accusing conversational bots of harming minors, leading to a fatal incident. In March, the family of a girl severely injured in the Tumbler Ridge shooting (western Canada) announced civil action against OpenAI for negligence. They accused the company of failing to report concerning messages written on ChatGPT by the presumed attacker.

OpenAI mentioned implementing a new security protocol triggered by similar conversations. While corporate entities can be indicted under US law, Prosecutor Uthmeier, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, acknowledged that “with AI, we are venturing into unknown territory.” The public prosecutor’s office requested documents from OpenAI concerning their internal regulations and AI model management methods. Uthmeier insisted that “just because it’s a chatbot doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be criminal liability,” stating that civil proceedings, already underway, would continue.

Uthmeier stated that the exchanges analyzed by his team revealed that the suspect “described his attack plan” to ChatGPT, asking how to attract national media attention for his actions. ChatGPT provided an analysis, prompting Uthmeier to differentiate between an internet service provider or mobile equipment manufacturer and an application that provides what appears to be practical advice for a school shooting.