Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday his office will investigate OpenAI for its alleged harm to minors, potential to threaten national security, and its possible link to a shooting that took place at Florida State University last 12 months.
“ChatGPT may likely have been used to help the murderer within the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives,” Attorney General Uthmeier said in a video posted to social media.
On the day of the FSU shooting last April, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT how the country would react to a shooting at FSU, and what time it could be busiest on the FSU student union. These messages could potentially be used as evidence against the suspect in an October trial in regards to the shooting.
The attorney general cited further concerns about ChatGPT’s encouragement of suicide in certain instances, which have been documented in multiple lawsuits brought by families against OpenAI. He also mentioned his concern that the Chinese Communist Party could use OpenAI’s technology against america.
“As big tech rolls out these technologies, they mustn’t — they can’t — put our safety and security in danger,” he said. “We support innovation. But that doesn’t give any company the precise to endanger our youngsters, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies, or threaten our national security.”
He also called on the Florida legislature to “work quickly” to guard children from the negative impacts of AI.
“Each week, greater than 900 million people use ChatGPT to enhance their day by day lives through uses similar to learning latest skills or navigating complex healthcare systems,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a press release to TechCrunch. “Our ongoing safety work continues to play a very important role in delivering these advantages to on a regular basis people, in addition to supporting scientific research and discovery.”
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OpenAI added that it builds and continues to enhance ChatGPT to know user intent and respond in appropriate, protected ways. The corporate said it can cooperate with the Florida attorney general’s investigation.
On Wednesday, OpenAI unveiled its Child Safety Blueprint, which incorporates policy recommendations designed to enhance children’s safety because it pertains to AI.
This motion comes as chatbot makers face pressure to confront their potential role in creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In response to a recent report from the Web Watch Foundation, there have been over 8,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM in the primary half of 2025, which represents a 14% increase 12 months over 12 months.
OpenAI’s blueprint recommends updating laws to guard against AI-generated abuse material, refining the reporting process to law enforcement, and instituting higher preventative safeguards against abusive uses of AI tools.