WASHINGTON (TNND) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI’s ChatGPT over whether it offered advice to the suspected gunman in the Florida State University shooting.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told The National News Desk that the investigation is unusual because it is criminal rather than civil. Rahmani said that makes the case more difficult because prosecutors generally must prove “knowledge, intent, willfulness,” and that a company “actually be aiding and abetting a shooter, a murderer,” rather than simply acting negligently.
Rahmani said he understands concerns about artificial intelligence technology but believes it will be “very difficult for the Florida AG to prove,” calling it “a new frontier.”
Asked whether OpenAI could face similar charges elsewhere, Rahmani said he would not be surprised given the intensity of public opinion about the technology. He pointed to a recent incident in which, he said, “someone threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI founder Sam Altman’s home, tried to burn down the building.”
Rahmani also said technology companies can do more to protect people, including users and those who may be threatened, and described the allegation as involving someone using ChatGPT and other AI tools to help plan an attack. But he emphasized the challenge of holding a platform criminally responsible rather than pursuing civil claims.
The discussion came as betting markets also drew attention this week, including a case involving a soldier arrested “just yesterday” who is accused of using insider information to bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The script also referenced three political candidates who were fined by “KFC” for betting on their own races.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the rise of betting, saying, “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. And you look at what’s going on all over the world and Europe and every place they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it.”
Rahmani compared some betting-market cases to insider trading, saying that while it is “not a security,” it can involve fraud because “there’s someone on the other side that’s being defrauded.” He said that is why such conduct can be charged as wire fraud, and added that using classified information can violate the Espionage Act. Rahmani said he expects more cases because “there’s just so much money at stake” and “now you can bet on almost anything.”