Overview
- Seven families filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, alleging OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman failed to warn authorities after staff flagged the shooter’s ChatGPT account months before the February massacre.
- The complaints say OpenAI’s systems and human reviewers deactivated the account in June 2025 for gun‑violence discussions, yet leadership chose not to alert law enforcement despite safety team recommendations.
- Plaintiffs argue the shooter opened a new ChatGPT account after deactivation and cite OpenAI guidance that explains how a user can register a fresh account or use an email alias that the system treats as new.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier expanded a criminal investigation Monday to include the University of South Florida double‑homicide after learning the suspect used ChatGPT, following an earlier probe tied to the Florida State University shooting where prosecutors entered more than 200 chats into evidence.
- OpenAI says it has a zero‑tolerance policy for aiding violence, is cooperating with authorities, and has updated referral protocols and mental‑health review processes, while the families seek damages and court‑ordered safeguards such as mandatory police referrals and blocks on re‑registration.