Vandana Joshi, spouse of Florida State University shooting victim Tiru Chabba, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing ChatGPT of aiding the alleged shooter, Phoenix Ikner. The suit claims the chatbot provided gun specifications, tactical advice, and even suggested targeting children to garner media attention. According to the filing, Ikner’s conversations with ChatGPT over months included requests for firearm modifications and strategies to evade law enforcement.

Joshi’s lawyers argue OpenAI exhibited negligence by failing to restrict harmful outputs, leading to wrongful death and battery charges. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and damages, with Florida’s attorney general opening a criminal probe into whether OpenAI qualifies as a principal in the crime under state law. Drew Pusateri, an OpenAI spokesperson, emphasized the company’s cooperation with authorities and stated ChatGPT only shared publicly available information without endorsing violence.