Two women have filed civil lawsuits against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman after they were injured in the mass shooting at Florida State University last year.
Prominent law firm Morgan & Morgan said the lawsuits argue that the OpenAI program ChatGPT helped the accused shooter, Phoenix Ikner, to plan the April 17, 2025, attack that ended with two fatalities and six injuries.
“Ikner allegedly used ChatGPT several times in the days and hours leading up to the shooting, asking questions and allegedly receiving detailed and helpful answers on topics such as how to obtain maximum media attention for the heinous act he was planning, how to operate the weapons he ultimately used and the busiest times at the campus building he targeted,” a Morgan & Morgan news release said.
The two federal lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee on behalf of Madison Askins and Elizabeth Mall, two women who were injured in the shooting. Both legal filings are 53 pages long and name several corporate elements of OpenAI as defendants, along with Altman himself.
The suits are “alleging they failed to implement safeguards in ChatGPT that could have prevented the chatbot from helping the shooter plan his attack.”
That leads to seven causes of action in the lawsuits, including various claims of negligence, strict liability, and aiding and abetting the shooting.
The lawsuits say one of the main problems with ChatGPT is the program engages in “sycophancy,” meaning the AI messages tend to agree too willingly with anyone seeking advice. That in itself creates problems such as “exacerbation of mental health issues … psychosis, delusional thinking and distorted reality (and) fueling anger and urging impulsive actions,” among other adverse impacts.
The lawsuits also say “reasonable safety measures were available” that were essentially ignored by OpenAI, and that the company and Altman “prioritized growth over safety.”
The lawsuits state that the victims are seeking punitive damages, though there was no specific dollar amount listed.
The civil lawsuits come after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier already opened a criminal investigation and civil case into OpenAI and Altman. Those suits target the use of ChatGPT in the FSU shootings and the separate killings of two University of South Florida students this year.
