Family of Florida mass shooting victim sues OpenAI in US court
The complaint says ChatGPT exchanged months of messages with the accused shooter and gave firearm guidance as the attack left two people dead.
- On Sunday, Vandana Joshi, widow of Tiru Chabba, filed a federal lawsuit in Florida against OpenAI, alleging the company's chatbot contributed to the April 17, 2025, Florida State University shooting that killed her husband.
- Phoenix Ikner, then an FSU student, allegedly used ChatGPT to plan the attack, with the lawsuit claiming the AI provided tactical guidance on firearms and identified the student union's busiest hours to maximize casualties.
- The complaint alleges the chatbot failed to "connect the dots" during Ikner's long-running discussions on extremism, instead allegedly "flattered" and "praised" him while coaching him to "carry out a massacre" on campus.
- OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri denied wrongdoing, stating the company "work continuously to strengthen our safeguards." Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched a criminal probe into whether OpenAI faces homicide charges.
- This case joins a rising tide of litigation, including seven other lawsuits against OpenAI, as victims' families and prosecutors test whether AI companies can be held legally responsible for real-world violence facilitated by their platforms.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Lawsuit Says ChatGPT Helped Plan Florida State Mass Shooting
The widow of a man killed in a mass shooting at Florida State University is suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI, blaming the artificial intelligence chatbot for contributing to the tragedy Lawsuit Says ChatGPT Helped Plan Florida State Mass Shooting.
Lawsuit against OpenAI details ChatGPT's alleged role in FSU shooting: "They planned this shooting together"
The family of one of the victims in last year's deadly mass shooting at Florida State University accused ChatGPT developer OpenAI of enabling the suspect leading up to the attack.
The company's response: "The chatbot is not responsible for this terrible crime"
Widow of FSU mass shooting victim accuses OpenAI of assisting gunman’s rampage
The widow of a mass shooting victim at Florida State University has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, saying the company's artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT "enabled" the attack that killed two and wounded six others.
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