Florida State shooting victim's family to sue ChatGPT and OpenAI over gunman's alleged use

Family of man killed in shooting at Florida State University to sue ChatGPT and OpenAI

Lawyers for Robert Morales's family said chatbot 'may have advised the shooter' on how to carry out shooting The family of a man who was killed at Florida State University last year plans to sue ChatGPT and its parent organization, OpenAI, for allegedly telling the accused gunman how to carry out the mass shooting. Lawyers for the family of Robert Morales wrote in a statement they had learned the shooter was in "constant communication with ChatGPT" ahead of the shooting, and that the chatbot "may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes". Morales was a former high school football coach who, at the time of the shooting on 17 April 2025, was working at Florida State as the university dining program manager. He was 57. His obituary described him as "a man of quiet brilliance and many gifts". "Robert's life was ended by what can only be described as an act of violence and hate. He should be with us today," the obituary said. "But if Robert were here he would not want us to dwell in anger. He would want us to focus on the small, steady acts of love that defined him and that keep him with us now." Forty-five-year old Tiru Chabba was also killed in the shooting and six others were injured. The trial for the alleged shooter is set to begin in October. The Morales family's expected suit is not the first time an AI chatbot has been implicated in a death. Several lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI and Google for the roles their chatbots allegedly played in encouraging people to take their and other people's lives. In November, the Social Media Victims Law Center filed seven lawsuits against ChatGPT for allegedly acting as a "suicide coach" for people who originally started using the chatbot for help with homework, recipes and research. The following month, OpenAI and Microsoft were sued on behalf of a woman who was killed by her son in a murder-suicide. The lawsuit claims that the chatbot helped fuel the son's delusions. And in March, the family of a 12-year-old who was severely injured in a shooting at a secondary school in British Columbia sued OpenAI for allegedly failing to warn law enforcement about disturbing messages the shooter had been exchanging with it. Seven people, including the shooter, were killed at the school, and another two people, who authorities believe were killed in connection with the same incident, were found dead at a residence nearby. Dozens of others were injured. In a statement to the Guardian about the Florida State case, OpenAI said it found an account they believe belonged to the suspected shooter and it has shared all available information with law enforcement. "Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating tragedy ... We built ChatGPT to understand people's intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology," the company said.

ChapGPT helped Florida State University gunman plan mass shooting, victim's attorney claims

The gunman who killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University last year may have used ChatGPT to help plan the mass shooting, according to one of the victim's attorneys planning to file a lawsuit against the chatbot's maker, OpenAI. The AI "may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes," according to the law firm representing the family of Robert Morales, an Aramark worker and father of one who was shot dead by alleged shooter Phoenix Ikner on the Tallahassee campus in April 2025. "We have been advised that the shooter was in constant communication with ChatGPT leading up to the shooting," Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney and Hobbs told WCTV in a statement. "We also have reason to believe that ChatGPT may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes. We will therefore file suit against ChatGPT, and its ownership structure, very soon, and will seek to hold them accountable for the untimely and senseless death of our client, Mr. Morales," the firm said. There are more than 270 images of ChatGPT conversations listed as exhibits in the case. However, the content of the messages has not been revealed, court records show. OpenAI said it "identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect" shortly after the shooting and "proactively shared this information with law enforcement and cooperated with authorities." "We built ChatGPT to understand people's intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology," the spokesperson told the outlet. Ikner, who was enrolled at the public college at the time of the shooting, opened fire with a service pistol that belonged to his stepmother, Leon County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jessica Ikner. He also had a shotgun, but did not appear to have used it during the rampage. Morales' lawyers told the sheriff's office in a letter in September that it could also be held liable, as Ikner was allowed to participate in LCSO's Youth Advisory Council, where he "was allegedly taught about firearms and displayed behavior that should've raised concerns. "Mr. Ikner was not mentally stable and should not be around guns, much less taught how to use them," the law firm wrote in its letter to LCSO. "The Leon County Sheriff's Office's handling of Mr. Ikner, as described more fully herein, was at least part of the cause of the murder of Mr. Robert Morales." Ikner began shooting outside of FSU's student union before noon on April 17, 2025. Morales, 57, from Tallahassee, and another Aramark vendor Tiru Chabba, 45, from Greenville, South Carolina, were both killed, according to officials. Six other students were wounded in the shooting before police quickly shot Ikner, leaving his face badly disfigured, and took him into custody. The motive for the shooting is unclear, and investigators have said Ikner did not appear to have any connections to the victims. He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and other related charges.