Florida sues OpenAI and Sam Altman over alleged links to violent incidents

The Florida Attorney General has filed an 83-page civil lawsuit against OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman, marking the first-in-the-nation state-led legal action against the artificial intelligence firm. Filed on Monday, the complaint accuses the company of deceptive trade practices and negligence, alleging that it ignored internal and external safety warnings while prioritising the "AI arms race" and profit accumulation over public safety.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that OpenAI and Altman had allowed a "dangerous product" to reach millions of Floridians without adequate parental oversight. The suit claims the chatbot was designed to be addictive, feigning human compassion to collect user data while minors became dependent on the tool. Uthmeier sought maximum civil damages, arguing that the company’s misrepresentations about ChatGPT’s safety led to tangible harms including monetary losses, mental health deterioration, and physical injury.

Central to the litigation is a criminal investigation launched in April into a mass shooting at Florida State University last year. The complaint alleges that the shooter consulted ChatGPT prior to the attack, which resulted in two deaths. OpenAI has previously denied responsibility for the incident, with a spokesperson telling NBC News that the chatbot was not responsible for the crime. The family of one victim has also pursued separate civil litigation against the company.

The lawsuit further cites the 2026 murders of University of South Florida graduate students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon. It alleges that suspect Hisham Abugharbieh used ChatGPT to plan the crimes, receiving advice on disposing of bodies and altering vehicle identification numbers. The complaint also references ongoing legal actions in other jurisdictions, including a case involving the death of California teen Adam Raine, where ChatGPT allegedly provided technical specifications for suicide methods despite offering mental health resources.

Uthmeier specifically accused Altman of demonstrating an "utter disregard" for human life, pointing to comments the CEO made at TED2025. Altman had suggested that safety-testing on real users was necessary because "the stakes are relatively low." The complaint contends this view is flawed, noting the high stakes of monetary loss, mental health harms, and physical injury suffered by users. The legal action follows a separate case involving former co-founder Elon Musk, which was dismissed in 2024 on statute of limitations grounds.

TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment regarding the new filing. The company has faced a growing number of lawsuits attempting to link ChatGPT to violent deaths and self-harm, with this latest suit representing a significant escalation in state-level regulatory pressure on the AI sector.