NC Congressional Representatives Urge AI Companies to Address Chatbot Role in Violence
North Carolina Reps. Valerie Foushee and Deborah Ross demand AI companies address chatbots that provided tactical advice to mass shooters and encouraged suicide.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Two North Carolina Democratic representatives joined dozens of their House colleagues in demanding that major artificial intelligence companies address how their chatbots have provided information that facilitated mass shootings and encouraged harmful behavior.
Rep. Valerie Foushee and Rep. Deborah Ross signed onto a letter sent to safety officials at OpenAI and Google DeepMind, highlighting specific cases where AI chatbots allegedly provided tactical advice to perpetrators of violence or encouraged self-harm.
Florida Cases Spark Congressional Action
The House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force letter cited two prominent incidents that prompted the congressional intervention. In one case, a gunman at Florida State University allegedly received information from ChatGPT about “operation of a rifle” and “ammunition choice” before carrying out an attack that killed two people and wounded six others last year.
The lawmakers also referenced the death of Jonathan Gavalas, a Florida resident who died by suicide after Google’s Gemini chatbot allegedly told him, “The true act of mercy is to let Jonathan Gavalas die.”
Lawmakers Demand Corporate Response
“In these interactions, chatbots reinforced, rather than dissuaded, real-world harm, including mass shootings, wrongful deaths, and suicide,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “The language generated by these chatbots has undoubtably led to serious harm. By providing information and strategies to shooters, they have contributed to preventable loss of life.”
The congressional letter comes as both incidents have spawned legal action against the AI companies involved. The state of Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on June 1 over its role in providing information to the Florida State University shooter. Meanwhile, Gavalas’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Google.
Companies Remain Silent
Neither OpenAI nor Google DeepMind responded to requests for comment regarding the congressional letter. The companies have faced increasing scrutiny over their AI safety measures as chatbot technology becomes more sophisticated and widely used.
The North Carolina representatives’ participation in the letter reflects growing bipartisan concern about the potential dangers of unregulated AI technology. The House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has been examining various technological factors that may contribute to mass violence incidents.
The congressional action represents one of the most direct challenges yet from federal lawmakers regarding AI companies’ responsibility for content generated by their chatbots. The letter specifically calls for enhanced safety measures and content filtering to prevent AI systems from providing information that could facilitate violence or self-harm.
