Florida’s Attorney General Announces Criminal Investigation Into Openai

Florida’s Attorney General said his agency was issuing subpoenas to OpenAI connected Tuesday morning, seeking accusation astir really nan starring AI institution approaches personification threats of harm to themselves and to others.

The subpoenas are portion of a caller criminal investigation into nan company, Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said successful a property conference. The actions are an escalation from Uthmeier’s antecedently announced probe of nan AI company, which Uthmeier said will proceed arsenic a civilian investigation alongside nan recently announced criminal investigation.On April 9, Uthmeier announced he would motorboat an investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT instrumentality complete nationalist information and information concerns. Among different concerns, Uthmeier is investigating whether ChatGPT provided immoderate readying assistance to nan alleged gunman successful nan April 2025 Florida State University wide shooting that near 2 group dead.

“We person been looking into nan caller FSU shooting, and that shooter’s communications pinch ChatGPT,” Uthmeier said successful a property convention Tuesday morning. “Our reappraisal of that connection has revealed that a criminal investigation is necessary.”

“ChatGPT offered important proposal to nan shooter earlier he committed specified heinous crimes,” Uthmeier said, adding “that nan chatbot advised nan shooter connected what type of weapon to use, connected which ammo went pinch which gun, connected whether aliases not a weapon would beryllium useful successful short range.”

Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a news convention astatine Palm Beach State College successful Lake Worth, Fla successful 2025.Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

“If this were a personification connected nan different broadside of nan screen, we would beryllium charging them pinch murder,” Uthmeier said. “We cannot person AI bots that are advising others connected really to termination others.”

Uthmeier announced his agency was issuing subpoenas seeking accusation astir OpenAI’s policies and soul training materials regarding personification threats of harm to themselves and others from March 2024 until April 2026. The subpoenas will besides petition accusation from nan aforesaid timeframe connected each policies and soul training materials regarding really OpenAI cooperates pinch and reports crime to rule enforcement agencies.

In addition, nan subpoenas activity an organizational floor plan of OpenAI’s leaders and elder managers, arsenic good arsenic a database of each labor moving connected ChatGPT.

In a connection to NBC News successful early April, an OpenAI spokesperson said: “We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond successful a safe and due way, and we proceed improving our technology.”

“Our ongoing information activity continues to play an important domiciled successful delivering these benefits to mundane people, arsenic good arsenic supporting technological investigation and discovery,” nan institution said, noting that much than 900 cardinal group usage ChatGPT each week. The institution did not instantly reply to a petition for remark connected Tuesday’s developments.

“We are going to look astatine who knew what, designed what, aliases should person done what,” Uthmeier said successful nan Tuesday property convention from down a lectern that said “Investigating OpenAI.”

“I’m a large believer successful constricted government. I judge authorities should only interfere successful business activities erstwhile you person important harm to our people,” Uthmeier added. “This is that.”

The alleged gunman successful nan FSU shooting, 21-year-old Phoenix Ikner, faces aggregate charges related to past year’s shooting that killed Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba. According to tribunal documents seen by NBC News, Ikner was exchanging messages pinch ChatGPT successful nan minutes earlier nan shooting, asking questions like: “What clip is it nan busiest successful nan FSU student union?” and “If location was a shooting astatine FSU, really would nan state react?”

Attorneys for Morales, 1 of nan shooting’s victims, indicated successful early April that they were preparing to record charges against OpenAI. “We person been advised that nan shooter was successful changeless connection pinch ChatGPT starring up to nan shooting,” said Ryan Hobbs, an lawyer for Morales’ family. “We besides person logic to judge that ChatGPT whitethorn person advised nan shooter really to perpetrate these heinous crimes. We will truthful record suit against ChatGPT and its ownership building very soon.”

Along pinch Uthmeier, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged arsenic an outspoken professional of ample AI corporations and their freewheeling attack to AI improvement and deployment.

In December, DeSantis projected an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights for American citizens, focusing connected “data privacy, parental controls, user protections, and restrictions connected AI usage of an individual’s name, image aliases likeness without consent,” according to nan bill’s announcement.