Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has initiated a probe into OpenAI, citing concerns over alleged harm to children, national security threats, and a potential link to last year's mass shooting at Florida State University. Uthmeier stated, "AI should advance mankind, not destroy it," emphasizing that wrongdoers must be held accountable.
His office is examining whether ChatGPT "may likely have been used to assist" the shooter, Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old student, who reportedly discussed suicide, gun choices, and the FSU shooting with the AI prior to the attack. Questions posed to ChatGPT included "If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?"
OpenAI responded, stating, "We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology." The families of the deceased victims are reportedly planning lawsuits against OpenAI, with one attorney claiming the AI "advised the shooter how to make the gun operational moments before he began firing."