AI accused of aiding and abetting murder. A shocking investigation into ChatGPT

The Attorney General of the US state of Florida, James Uthmeier, announced the initiation of an investigation into ChatGPT and its creator, OpenAI, in connection with the analysis of conversations between the chatbot and the perpetrator of the shooting at Florida State University (FSU), the New York Times reported.

As a result of the shooting in April 2025, two people were killed and six were injured. The accused, 20-year-old student Phoenix Ikner, is in custody awaiting trial on charges of murder and attempted murder.

According to Uthmeier the content of the ChatGPT message suggests that the system offered significant assistance to the perpetrator before committing criminal acts. The prosecutor pointed out, among others: to questions about the weapon's stopping power and ammunition selection.

During Tuesday's press conference, Uthmeier emphasized the importance of the evidence collected. “My prosecutors reviewed this case and told me that if there had been a person on the other side of the screen, we would have charged him with murder,” he explained.

As noted by “NYT”, on the day of the attack Ikner asked ChatGPT, among others: about possible social reactions to the shooting and about the hours of peak traffic in the vicinity of the student residence hall.

Uthmeier announced that civil proceedings will be conducted in parallel regarding the possible liability of OpenAI. As he admitted, holding a company criminally liable is a new, untested legal field. He stressed that it was his duty to determine whether people could have been involved in the design, management and operation of the system to an extent that justified criminal liability.

OpenAI said it was cooperating with the authorities but did not accept any blame for the tragedy. “Last year's shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” the statement said.

According to the company, the system only provided answers based on publicly available sources and did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activities.

Andrzej Dobrowolski from New York (PAP)

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