Florida authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether the chatbot ChatGPT played any role in a deadly mass shooting at a university in the state, Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Tuesday.

The probe follows a review of exchanges between the suspected gunman and the OpenAI-developed chatbot, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.

“If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder,” Uthmeier said.

Details of Exchanges Not Disclosed

Officials did not release details of the conversations between the suspect and the chatbot.
Under Florida law, individuals who aid, abet, or counsel a crime can be held legally responsible as accomplices, Uthmeier said, outlining the legal basis for the review.

OpenAI Rejects Responsibility

A spokesperson for OpenAI said the chatbot did not promote or encourage harmful behavior.
“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,” the company said in a statement.

The company added it had identified the account linked to the suspect and shared it with law enforcement after learning of the incident.

Shooting Details

Two people were killed and six others injured in the shooting at Florida State University, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by officials as Phoenix Ikner, allegedly opened fire on campus before being shot by law enforcement. He was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said the suspect was a student at the university and had access to weapons through law enforcement training programs.

Mass shootings remain a recurring issue in the United States, where gun ownership is constitutionally protected and debates over stricter firearm regulations continue.