Image Credits:Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images3:13 PM PDT · April 9, 2026
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced connected Thursday his agency will analyse OpenAI for its alleged harm to minors, imaginable to frighten nationalist security, and its imaginable nexus to a shooting that took spot astatine Florida State University past year.
“ChatGPT whitethorn apt person been utilized to assistance nan murderer successful nan caller wide schoolhouse shooting astatine Florida State University that tragically took 2 lives,” Attorney General Uthmeier said successful a video posted to societal media.
On nan time of nan FSU shooting past April, nan fishy allegedly asked ChatGPT really nan state would respond to a shooting astatine FSU, and what clip it would beryllium busiest astatine nan FSU student union. These messages could perchance beryllium utilized arsenic grounds against nan fishy successful an October proceedings astir nan shooting.
The lawyer wide cited further concerns astir ChatGPT’s encouragement of termination successful definite instances, which person been documented successful multiple lawsuits brought by families against OpenAI. He besides mentioned his interest that nan Chinese Communist Party could usage OpenAI’s exertion against nan United States.
“As large tech rolls retired these technologies, they should not — they cannot — put our information and information astatine risk,” he said. “We support innovation. But that doesn’t springiness immoderate institution nan correct to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies, aliases frighten our nationalist security.”
He besides called connected nan Florida legislature to “work quickly” to protect children from nan antagonistic impacts of AI.
“Each week, much than 900 cardinal group usage ChatGPT to amended their regular lives done uses specified arsenic learning caller skills aliases navigating analyzable healthcare systems,” an OpenAI spokesperson said successful a connection to TechCrunch. “Our ongoing information activity continues to play an important domiciled successful delivering these benefits to mundane people, arsenic good arsenic supporting technological investigation and discovery.”
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OpenAI added that it builds and continues to amended ChatGPT to understand personification intent and respond successful appropriate, safe ways. The institution said it will cooperate pinch nan Florida Attorney General’s investigation.
On Wednesday, OpenAI unveiled its Child Safety Blueprint, which includes argumentation recommendations designed to amended children’s information arsenic it relates to AI.
This action comes arsenic chatbot makers look unit to face their imaginable domiciled successful creating kid intersexual maltreatment worldly (CSAM). According to a caller study from nan Internet Watch Foundation, location were complete 8,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM successful nan first half of 2025, which represents a 14% summation twelvemonth complete year.
OpenAI’s blueprint recommends updating authorities to protect against AI-generated maltreatment material, refining nan reporting process to rule enforcement, and instituting amended preventative safeguards against abusive uses of AI tools.
Amanda Silberling is simply a elder writer astatine TechCrunch covering nan intersection of exertion and culture. She has besides written for publications for illustration Polygon, MTV, nan Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is nan co-host of Wow If True, a podcast astir net culture, pinch subject fabrication writer Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked arsenic a grassroots organizer, depository educator, and movie show coordinator. She holds a B.A. successful English from nan University of Pennsylvania and served arsenic a Princeton successful Asia Fellow successful Laos.
You tin interaction aliases verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted connection astatine @amanda.100 connected Signal.
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