Emma Gillespie

That is, of course, the AI chatbot launched to the public in 2022.

Hundreds of millions of users around the world engage with it constantly.

It is everywhere.

Listeners are probably engaging with it frequently.

And if they are not, certainly lots of people in their world are.

So the allegations at the center of this lawsuit are some allegations relating to how suspected shooters engaged with ChatGPT in the lead up to their attacks.

Primarily, it focuses on two attacks, the first being a shooting at Florida State University on the 17th of April, 2025.

Now, in that shooting last year, the alleged gunman, a 20-year-old student named Phoenix Eicher, allegedly killed two students and injured six others.

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

But Florida's top law enforcement official, the state's Attorney General James Utmeyer, claims that Eicher used ChatGPT in the lead-up to attack and says that the chatbot gave him specific operational advice.

Yes, so allegedly ChatGPT advised this shooter on when and where to carry out the attack, specifically gave him tips on when and where to carry it out to target more people.

Aichner asked ChatGPT, what time is the busiest in the FSU student union?

The chatbot replied weekdays 11.30 to 1.30 and Aichner was allegedly then seen on campus days later with a gun at 11.59am.

Oh my god.

Authorities also claim that ChatGPT advised Eichner on what type of gun to use.

It allegedly told him that an attack will attract more media attention if children are involved.

And Eichner also reportedly messaged the chatbot thousands of times discussing terms like suicide, loneliness, guns and mass shootings.

Yes.

Now, this one happened just recently in April 2026, almost a year to the day after the FSU shooting.

This one involves two University of South Florida students who went missing in a separate incident.