Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a major investigation into OpenAI, citing concerns about public safety.
This comes after the mass shooting at Florida State University last year. Uthmeier posted a video on X explaining the rationale for the probe. “The development and rollout of artificial intelligence is a monumental leap in technology, but it has not been without concern for public safety and national security,” he said. “AI is built on its ability to gather data, and there are concerns about whether OpenAI's data and technologies that could be used against America are falling into the hands of American enemies, such as the Chinese Communist Party.”
The attorney general pointed out that OpenAI’s technology “has also been linked to criminal behavior, including child sex abuse material, use by child predators, encouragement for suicide or self-harm,” and that it “may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives.”
“As Big Tech rolls out these technologies, they should not — they cannot — put our safety and security at risk,” he continued. “We support innovation, but that doesn't give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America's enemies, or threaten our national security. Companies that do so will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”
Today, we launched an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) April 9, 2026
AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.
Wrongdoers must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/vRVCqIYKnB
The suspect in the mass shooting allegedly exchanged more than 200 messages with OpenAI’s ChatGPT before he carried out the attack. Court records revealed that the individual asked the chatbot about carrying out a mass shooting on the campus.
Attorneys for at least one victim said they plan to file a lawsuit against the company, arguing that it provided guidance on how to use the firearm before the attack.
The investigation will examine three different issues: whether the FSU shooter used ChatGPT to plan the attack, whether OpenAI’s tools enable child sexual abuse material, and whether the company’s data could be used by foreign adversaries like China and Russia.
The sycophantic approach of ChatGPT, which maximizes the money they make by lying to users and agreeing with their dangerous delusions, needs to stop!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2026
Uthmeier stated his office will issue subpoenas to OpenAI and urged state lawmakers to grant him more authority over artificial intelligence companies.
OpenAI said it will cooperate with the investigations and contended that more than 900 million people use ChatGPT each week for tasks like learning, work, and research.
Florida’s investigation occurs against the backdrop of a broader national debate over how to rein in artificial intelligence. Federal agencies, Congress, and the Trump administration have all looked at ways to regulate the technology.
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