{"id":241103,"date":"2026-04-22T00:03:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T00:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241103\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T00:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T00:03:38","slug":"florida-ag-announces-criminal-investigation-into-openai-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241103\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida AG announces criminal investigation into OpenAI"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced<\/a> a criminal investigation into OpenAI on Tuesday, arguing ChatGPT may have done more than reflect the thinking of the accused Florida State University shooter and instead may have helped him plan the 2025 attack.<\/p>\n

The move marks a legally untested escalation in the state\u2019s response to the shooting, which killed two people and injured at least six others. Uthmeier said prosecutors reviewed chat logs tied to accused gunman Phoenix Ikner<\/a> and concluded the exchanges raised questions about whether OpenAI could bear criminal responsibility for the chatbot\u2019s conduct.<\/p>\n

Watch report from Forrest Saunders<\/p>\n

Florida attorney general opens criminal investigation into OpenAI over FSU shooting chats<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder,\u201d Uthmeier said at a press conference<\/a> in Tampa. \u201cJust because this is a chat bot, an AI does not mean that there is not criminal culpability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay 28 was at the event and streamed it live on the website<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WATCH press conference Florida AG announces criminal investigation into OpenAI<\/p>\n

Florida AG announces criminal investigation into OpenAI at Tampa press conference<\/p>\n

Uthmeier said the chats included questions about weapons, ammunition, timing and where on campus crowds would be largest in the minutes before Ikner allegedly opened fire. The attorney general said his office is now subpoenaing OpenAI for internal policies and training materials related to threats of harm to others, threats of self-harm and cooperation with law enforcement, along with records showing how those policies may have changed over time.
\u201cWe cannot have AI bots that are advising people on how to kill others,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n

The legal theory behind the investigation is novel. Under Florida law, someone who helps another person commit a crime can be held just as responsible as the person who carries it out. State officials say the investigation will test whether that theory can extend to artificial intelligence and the company behind it.<\/p>\n

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass defended the probe and said the case reflects broader concerns about harms linked to artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial intelligence is built by man. Man is fallible. Man makes mistakes,\u201d Glass said.<\/p>\n

OpenAI did not immediately comment publicly on the criminal investigation. The company previously<\/a> said it would cooperate with the Attorney General\u2019s Office in a related civil inquiry and said its platform is designed to respond safely while its safety systems continue to improve.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach week, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT to improve their daily lives\u2026\u201d said a spokesman for the company. \u201cOur ongoing safety work continues to play an important role in delivering these benefits to everyday people, as well as supporting scientific research and discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an earlier statement, OpenAI said it had identified an account believed tied to the suspect after the shooting, shared that information with law enforcement and continued cooperating with investigators.<\/p>\n

The criminal case against Ikner is still moving forward separately. State Attorney Jack Campbell, who is prosecuting the case, has confirmed ChatGPT-related evidence is part of the broader case file but has declined to discuss its substance publicly before trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly there is evidence concerning ChatGPT, but I won\u2019t be commenting on the evidence at all until we\u2019re in the courtroom,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Campbell has said AI records are becoming part of a growing body of digital evidence prosecutors use to understand a suspect\u2019s actions, planning and state of mind before a crime. He said the murder case remains on track<\/a> for trial this fall.<\/p>\n

The OpenAI investigation also arrives as Florida lawmakers prepare to revisit artificial intelligence policy<\/a> during next week\u2019s special session. Proposals under discussion would require parental controls, disclosure when users are interacting with bots and additional protections for personal data, though it remains unclear whether the measures have enough support to pass.<\/p>\n

Share Your Story with Forrest

Capitol Reporter Forrest Saunders is dedicated to sharing your voice with political leaders throughout the state. He works to hold our elected leaders accountable and amplify your concerns. Let Forrest know about the issues you want state leaders to focus on.
.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay nursing homes cited for critical violations and placed on federal list of worst facilities<\/p>\n

Aventura at the Bay and Groves Center are among 88 nursing homes in the U.S. designated as special focus facilities due to serious, recurring deficiencies.<\/p>\n

Nursing homes cited for critical violations, placed on list of worst facilities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a criminal investigation into OpenAI on Tuesday, arguing ChatGPT…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[205,5700,62060,106394,276,4260,135,5910,3670,137,136,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-241103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-abc-action-news","9":"tag-fdle","10":"tag-florida-ag","11":"tag-florida-department-of-law-enforcement-commissioner","12":"tag-hillsborough-county","13":"tag-james-uthmeier","14":"tag-tampa","15":"tag-tampa-bay-28","16":"tag-tampa-bay-local-news","17":"tag-tampa-headlines","18":"tag-tampa-news","19":"tag-wfts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}