Family of FSU mass shooting victim sues OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT helped in planning the attack

Legal Action Against AI in Campus Shooting Case

Vandana Joshi, the widow of a food service worker at Florida State University, has initiated a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, alleging that its platform played a negligent role in last year’s campus shooting. This tragic incident, which occurred in April 2025, resulted in the deaths of two individuals.

According to the 76-page legal complaint, the accused shooter, Phoenix Ichner, supposedly utilized AI to strategize his plans. Joshi’s attorney, Bakari Sellers, indicated that there were roughly 16,000 unsettling conversations over an 18-month span, during which chatbots reportedly provided not just tactical advice, but also reinforced Ichner’s distorted thinking.

Sellers emphasized that the AI’s failure to flag these interactions contributed directly to the crime, as it lacked adequate safeguards against such dangerous dialogues.

“This is the same person who asked how to gain notoriety. He inquired about the Columbine shooting and strategized about when students would arrive on campus,” Sellers remarked. “He literally used OpenAI as a resource to enable mass murder. Lives were lost, and we must now consider preventative measures.”

The pressure on OpenAI has intensified with separate legal action being planned by the family of Robert Morales, the second victim of the shooting, who served as FSU’s dining director.

Additionally, Florida Attorney General James Usmeyer has launched a formal investigation into OpenAI’s involvement in the shooting. The inquiry aims to explore how AI may have been used in the planning stages, which raises important questions about the accountability of AI developers for users’ behaviors.

“While Florida is leading the charge against the misuse of AI in crimes, it’s worth noting that if ChatGPT were a person, it could potentially face murder charges,” Usmeyer stated.

Currently, Ichner has entered a not guilty plea and is slated for trial in October, facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.