Family of FSU Shooting Victim Sues OpenAI, Alleges ChatGPT Conspired with Gunman
Victim’s family claims ChatGPT served as alleged FSU shooter’s “co-conspirator” in planning the deadly campus attack last year.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — The family of a victim killed in last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University filed a federal lawsuit Monday against OpenAI, alleging the company’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence system acted as a “co-conspirator” with the alleged gunman before the attack.
Attorneys representing the estate of 45-year-old Tiru Chabba announced the lawsuit outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee. The legal team claims OpenAI was negligent in creating ChatGPT without adequate safeguards to prevent users like Phoenix Ikner from using the AI system to plan violent attacks.
Allegations Against OpenAI and Shooter
The lawsuit alleges OpenAI failed to design proper controls to counteract Ikner, who attorneys say used ChatGPT in planning the university shooting. According to the complaint, Ikner had extensive conversations with the AI chatbot that should have alerted any thinking person that he was contemplating violence against others.
“This issue is not about politics at all; it’s about the duty owed to the American public, ensuring that individuals like Ikner do not get their hands on weapons and are able to carry out mass murder with their co-conspirator, ChatGPT,” said Bakari Sellers, one of the attorneys representing Chabba’s family, during the news conference.
Legal Claims and Damages Sought
The federal lawsuit filed in Tallahassee court includes multiple claims against OpenAI, including negligence, gross negligence, and liability for negligent and defective design. Chabba’s attorneys are seeking compensatory damages, litigation costs, and any additional remedies the court may determine appropriate.
The suit also names Ikner as a defendant, alleging battery against the shooting suspect. The family is requesting compensatory damages and litigation costs from both defendants.
Sellers emphasized that his legal team will not allow technology companies to conduct what he characterized as clinical trials on the American public. “We are not going to allow the American public to have clinical trials run on them by OpenAI and ChatGPT,” Sellers stated during the courthouse announcement.
The lawsuit represents one of the first major legal challenges holding an AI company responsible for alleged violence committed by users who consulted the technology before carrying out attacks. The case could set important precedents for how courts handle liability issues involving artificial intelligence systems and public safety.
