After the Florida State University (FSU) shooting, questions have arisen surrounding the safety of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The FSU shooting took place on April 17, 2025 near the student center, causing six injuries and two deaths, according to CNN. The shooter, Phoenix Ikner, has pleaded not guilty with the trial set to begin in October of 2026.
Days before the shooting, Ikner was logged to have multiple conversations with ChatGPT on advice before the shooting. ChatGPT provided chilling answers, with the app not having the ability to flag or detect any harmful behavior presented.
As shown on Orlando Weekly, because of the failure to flag any harmful behavior, along with advice given to Ikner, a lawsuit was filed. Vandana Joshi, the widow of shooting victim, Tiru Chabba, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. This lawsuit was announced to be filed on May 10, 2026 in Tallahassee, Florida federal court.
In a statement announced on Monday, May 11, 2026, Joshi made multiple statements including saying, “OpenAI knew this would happen. It’s happened before and it was only a matter of time before it happened again,”. The second statement released by Joshi says, “[OpenAI] put their profits over our safety and it killed my husband. They need to be responsible before another family has to go through this,”. These statements are showcased on NBC 6 South Florida.
The company of OpenAI is testifying against the argument on whether ChatGPT is responsible for the damages done or not. An OpenAI spokesperson spoke openly about the situation on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, on CBS News, stating that ChatGPT provided factual responses to the questions Ikner asked. This information could be found in public sources, with the spokesperson also stating that “ChatGPT did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity”.
Although, this is not the first time OpenAI has been sued due to wrongful use leading to tragedies; OpenAI is currently facing seven lawsuits, all claiming to have driven people to harmful decisions and even suicide.
Ultimately, with the conflicts happening in the app ChatGPT, it is advised people to not use AI because of the insensitive replies ChatGPT is capable of.
