TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of suicide and school shootings. Readers are advised to continue with care.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT after chat logs from the alleged FSU shooter were released earlier this week.
Uthmeier said OpenAI’s activities have “hurt kids, endangered Americans and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.”
The Florida Attorney General said he has concerns about AI’s ability to gather data and how it can be used against the American public.
“Wrongdoers must be held accountable,” Uthmeier said.
Today, we launched an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT.
AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. 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. pic.twitter.com/vRVCqIYKnB
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) April 9, 2026
This comes after WCTVfirst obtained those chat logs from the State’s Attorney’s office between the accused shooter, Phoenix Ikner and ChatGPT.
The chat log shows Ikner asked questions about self-worth, not feeling respected and expressed suicidal tendencies on the morning of the shooting. The conversation then turns to practical questions about firearms and how mass shootings are covered in the media.
Just a few hours before the shooting on April 17, 2025, Ikner asks ChatGPT what happened to other mass shooters and if Florida has a maximum security prison.
The alleged shooter also asked how to use a Glock, and how to arm a shotgun. In fact, his last message to the chat bot involves the shotgun and occurred just three minutes before police say Ikner started shooting.
“I call on the Florida legislature to work quickly on implementing protections to safeguard our children from the dangers of AI,” Uthmeier said.
More Tallahassee news:
Earlier this week, the attorneys for one victim killed in the Florida State University mass shooting nearly a year ago announced their plan to file a lawsuit against ChatGPT.
They claim the suspected shooter had “constant communication” with the chatbot before the shooting.
Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis is also pushing forward a bill he says will hold Big Tech accountable, called the PROTECT Act. The bill’s text was released before Ikner’s ChatGPT logs were released.
However, the congressman said he wants to repeal “section 230 immunity,” a statute launched decades ago meant to protect tech companies who host other people’s content.
While the statute was meant to prevent over-regulation and to prevent the stifling of growth, Patronis said social media companies have become addictive to young Americans.
The chat logs in Ikner’s case reveal his stream of consciousness. Many of the messages are mundane, focused on homework, historical figures or random trivia.
But he also asked the bot about his appearance, how to manipulate women and for more mainstream dating advice.
The bot, at times, did recommend he seek help from the national suicide hotline number. But the bot did not discourage him from continuing to use the app, even after he expressed a lack of will to live.
In Canada, officials there have summoned senior staff from OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, in relation to a school shooting there earlier this year.
According to the BBC, ChatGPT banned the shooter in that case about a year before the shooting, but did not alert authorities.
In the FSU case, OpenAI said it cooperated with authorities after the fact, though the messages do not indicate whether law enforcement was alerted in advance.
In a statement sent to WCTV Monday, OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said their hearts go out to those impacted by the tragedy.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating tragedy. After learning of the incident in late April 2025, we identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect, proactively shared this information with law enforcement and cooperated with authorities. We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology.”
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