TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The family of a man killed in a 2025 Florida State University shooting is suing OpenAI.
Attorneys representing Tiru Chabba say the company’s “ChatGPT” “inflamed and encouraged” suspect Phoenix Ikner to carry out the crime.
The suit seeks undefined compensation and wants OpenAI to add more safeguards to its chatbot.
An OpenAI spokesperson has said ChatGPT is not responsible for the FSU shooting, noting information provided by ChatGPT can be found easily across public internet sources.
Florida’s attorney general has also launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI. Ikner pleaded not guilty to killing two people and injuring six others.
An OpenAI spokesperson provided the following statement:
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 an 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.
According to the spokesperson, OpenAI has advanced safety systems that help detect any misuse or risks of real-world harm. More information can be found here.
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They say ChatGPT has urged users to seek real life support and professional mental help several times.