Florida authorities have opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI over allegations its chatbot ChatGPT was used by a gunman in a deadly university shooting last year.
The probe was announced by James Uthmeier, who said investigators would examine whether OpenAI bears criminal responsibility linked to the incident involving AI application.
The shooting occurred at Florida State University in April last year, where a gunman killed two people and wounded six others before being shot by the state police.
The suspect was later hospitalised and charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in connection with the attack, according to law enforcement authorities.
Uthmeier said the chatbot provided information about firearms, ammunition compatibility, and weapon suitability at short range during interactions attributed to the suspect.
He added that authorities would consider criminal charges if evidence showed a person knowingly provided such assistance under similar circumstances involving the planning of violent acts.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution has issued a subpoena to OpenAI seeking records and information related to the chatbot interactions under investigation.
An OpenAI spokesperson told United States media the company had no responsibility, describing the shooting as a tragedy and stating it had cooperated with authorities.
The spokesperson said the company identified an account believed linked to the suspect and proactively shared relevant information with law enforcement agencies after the incident.
OpenAI stated that ChatGPT provided factual responses based on publicly available information and did not encourage or promote harmful or illegal activity in this case.
