Artificial intelligence company OpenAI faces a new current battle in the United States after the family of one of the victims of the Florida State University shooting filed a federal lawsuit accusing ChatGPT of having helped the attacker plan the massacre.
The complaint was filed in federal court in northern Florida by Vandana Joshi, wife of Tiru Chabba, one of the two men killed during the attack on April 17, 2025 on the Florida Declare College campus. The other deceased was Robert Morales, director of dining services at the university.
The lawsuit claims that ChatGPT acted as a kind of “assistant” to the alleged attacker, Phoenix Ikner, providing him with information related to weapons, peak student hours, and possible media and legal repercussions of the attack.
During a news conference in Tallahassee, the family’s lawyers accused OpenAI of prioritizing the commercial growth of its platform over public safety.
“OpenAI knew this could happen and still allowed its system to continue interacting with someone who was showing obvious signs of violence,” said attorney Bakari Sellers.
According to court documents, Ikner had thousands of conversations with ChatGPT over more than a year. In those conversations, he allegedly talked about Adolf Hitler, Nazism, mass shootings such as Columbine and Virginia Tech, as well as topics related to suicide, terrorism and gun violence.
🇺🇸 OpenAI is being sued over the Florida Declare College shooting that killed 2 of us remaining April.
The lawsuit claims the shooter, Phoenix Ikner, had months of conversations with ChatGPT.
When he requested in regards to the busiest instances on the FSU student union, ChatGPT responded.
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— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) Could well perhaps additionally simply 10, 2026
ChatGPT accused of helping plan the attack
The lawsuit claims that Ikner used the chatbot to obtain practical guidance before the attack. Among other things, the accused would have shared photographs of firearms and requested advice on their operation.
According to the file, ChatGPT explained technical details about a Glock pistol, including recommendations for shooting under stress and gun handling measures.
The lawyers also maintain that the chatbot answered questions about what times were the busiest traffic in the university’s student center.. According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT indicated that the period of greatest concentration of people occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the attack began around 11:57 a.m.
The complaint also states that Ikner consulted on the level of media attention generated by mass shootings and possible criminal sentences for the shooter.
“ChatGPT exacerbated and encouraged Ikner’s delusions,” the family’s lawyers say. who maintain that the system did not detect clear signs of danger or alert the authorities despite conversations considered “alarming.”
Ikner currently faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder and remains in custody awaiting trial.
OpenAI rejects responsibility for the tragedy
OpenAI denied that ChatGPT promoted or facilitated the attack. In statements sent to US media, the company spokespersonDrew Pusateri, stated that the chatbot only provided publicly available information on the web and never encouraged illegal activities.
“The tragedy that occurred at Florida State University was devastating, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this crime,” the company said.
OpenAI also assured that it collaborated with the authorities since it became aware of the case and defended the security measures implemented on the platform to detect malicious uses.
The case joins a growing list of lawsuits and questions in the United States against artificial intelligence companies for the possible impact of their chatbots on vulnerable people or people with mental health problems.
Last month, several Canadian families sued OpenAI following another school shooting, while other tech companies, including Google, are also facing lawsuits related to the behavior of artificial intelligence systems.
In parallel, Florida prosecutor James Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation to determine whether OpenAI could face any degree of current liability for conversations between Ikner and ChatGPT before the massacre.
Keep reading:
- Homicide of two students in Florida: suspect consulted ChatGPT about hiding bodies before murders
- Florida opens criminal investigation against OpenAI for ChatGPT’s role in university shooting
- They report at least 2 dead and 6 injured in the shooting at a Florida university
