The gunman who killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University last year may have used ChatGPT to help plan the mass shooting, according to one of the victim’s attorneys planning to file a lawsuit against the chatbot’s maker, OpenAI.
The AI “may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes,” according to the law firm representing the family of Robert Morales, an Aramark worker and father of one who was shot dead by alleged shooter Phoenix Ikner on the Tallahassee campus in April 2025.
“We have been advised that the shooter was in constant communication with ChatGPT leading up to the shooting,” Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney and Hobbs told WCTV in a statement.
Phoenix Ikner is accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting at Florida State University in April. AP “We also have reason to believe that ChatGPT may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes. We will therefore file suit against ChatGPT, and its ownership structure, very soon, and will seek to hold them accountable for the untimely and senseless death of our client, Mr. Morales,” the firm said.
There are more than 270 images of ChatGPT conversations listed as exhibits in the case.
However, the content of the messages has not been revealed, court records show.
OpenAI said it “identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect” shortly after the shooting and “proactively shared this information with law enforcement and cooperated with authorities.”
“We built ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
Ikner, who was enrolled at the public college at the time of the shooting, opened fire with a service pistol that belonged to his stepmother, Leon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jessica Ikner.
He also had a shotgun, but did not appear to have used it during the rampage.
One of the victim’s lawyers claims Ikner used ChatGPT to plan the mass shooting. Stefano Mussi via Storyful Morales’ lawyers told the sheriff’s office in a letter in September that it could also be held liable, as Ikner was allowed to participate in LCSO’s Youth Advisory Council, where he “was allegedly taught about firearms and displayed behavior that should’ve raised concerns.
“Mr. Ikner was not mentally stable and should not be around guns, much less taught how to use them,” the law firm wrote in its letter to LCSO. “The Leon County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of Mr. Ikner, as described more fully herein, was at least part of the cause of the murder of Mr. Robert Morales.”
Ikner began shooting outside of FSU’s student union before noon on April 17, 2025. Morales, 57, from Tallahassee, and another Aramark vendor Tiru Chabba, 45, from Greenville, South Carolina, were both killed, according to officials.
Six other students were wounded in the shooting before police quickly shot Ikner, leaving his face badly disfigured, and took him into custody.
The motive for the shooting is unclear, and investigators have said Ikner did not appear to have any connections to the victims.
He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and other related charges.
