Florida’s attorney general said Tuesday (local time) that his office is issuing a subpoena to OpenAI seeking information about how the company handles threats from users to harm themselves or others, NBC reported.
James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, noted at a press conference that the subpoenas are part of a new criminal investigation against the company and the actions represent an escalation from his previously announced investigation into the artificial intelligence (AI) company led by Sam Altman. According to Uthmeier, the investigation will continue as a civil investigation in addition to the newly announced criminal investigation.
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Uthmeier announced the launch of a probe against OpenAI
Earlier this month, Florida’s attorney general announced the opening of an investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT tool, citing national security and safety concerns.
Among other concerns, Uthmeier is also investigating whether the OpenAI chat tool provided any planning assistance to the alleged shooter who carried out the mass shooting at Florida State University. The incident took place in April last year and left two dead.
ChatGPT helped the shooter who killed two at FSU, Uthmeier says
He said at a press conference, “We have been investigating the recent FSU shooting and the shooter’s communications with ChatGPT,” adding, “Our review of these communications revealed that a criminal investigation is necessary.”
Florida’s attorney general went on to say that the OpenAI chatbot allegedly offered the shooter significant advice before he committed such “heinous crimes,” adding, “the chatbot advised the shooter on what type of gun to use, what ammunition it would fit, and whether the gun would be useful at close range.”
He explained that if it was the person at the other end of the screen, they would be accused of murder, and that there could be no AI robot to assist humans in killing others.
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The Florida Attorney General’s Office issues a subpoena
The attorney general added that his office is now issuing subpoenas seeking information regarding AI’s policies and internal training materials related to users’ threats to harm themselves or others from March 2024 to April 2026. The subpoenas will also seek information from the same time frame on all policies and internal training materials on how the company cooperates with and reports crimes to law enforcement.
In addition, the subpoenas will also request an organizational chart of the leaders and senior managers of the leading AI company, along with a list of all employees working at ChatGPT.
ChatGPT built to understand people’s intent: OpenAI spokesperson
In early April, an OpenAI spokesperson told NBC, “We’re building ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we’re continuing to improve our technology.”
The company said its ongoing security work continues to play a key role in bringing these benefits to ordinary people, along with supporting scientific research and discovery. He also noted that more than 900 million people use ChatGPT every week.
FSU shooting
Phoenix Ikner, 21, who is the suspect in the FSU shooting, is facing several charges related to last year’s incident. Citing court documents, NBC said that minutes before carrying out the shooting, Ikner was exchanging messages with the OpenAI chat tool, asking questions such as “What time is the busiest time in the FSU student union?” and “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?”
In early April, lawyers representing the family of one of the victims said they were now preparing to press charges against OpenAI after it emerged the shooter had been exchanging messages with ChatGPT. The lawyer further stated that the AI platform could have advised the shooter on how to commit these crimes.
