OpenAI Sued for Mass Shooting: "If ChatGPT Were a Person, It Would Be Facing Murder Charges"

"The lawsuit was filed in Florida on Sunday by Vandana Joshi, whose spouse, Tiru Chabba, was shot and killed by then-20-year-old Florida State University (FSU) student Phoenix Ikner, according to NBC News."

"Alarming chat logs first obtained last month by The Florida Observer revealed that Ikner carried out extensive conversations with ChatGPT over the course of months, turning to the chatbot as a confidante with which he discussed a range of revealing - and disturbing - topics: his loneliness and sexual frustrations; explicit fantasies about a minor; suicidality; fascination with Hitler, Nazis, and racial stereotyping; and his interest in mass killings, including school shootings at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech."

"According to the lawsuit, Ikner also uploaded pictures of firearms he'd obtained to ChatGPT and quizzed the chatbot on how a shooting at FSU might be covered in the media. In response, the chatbot allegedly told Ikner that "if children are involved" in a shooting, "even 2-3 victims can draw more attention," and provided Ikner with information and instructions about ammunition and how to use different guns. It also advised Ikner on what it said was the best time to commit a school shooting - advice that the killer appeared to follow."

""Ikner had extensive conversations with ChatGPT which, cumulatively, would have led any thinking human to conclude he was contemplating an imminent plan to harm others," reads the lawsuit. "However, ChatGPT either defectively failed to connect the dots or else it was never properly designed to recognize them.""

A widow of a mass shooting victim filed a lawsuit in Florida against OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT contributed to a killer’s deadly rampage. The suit names Vandana Joshi, whose spouse Tiru Chabba was killed by Phoenix Ikner, a Florida State University student. Records of conversations describe months of interactions in which Ikner discussed loneliness, sexual frustrations, explicit fantasies involving a minor, suicidality, interest in Hitler and Nazis, racial stereotyping, and fascination with mass killings. The lawsuit alleges Ikner shared firearm images with ChatGPT and asked about media coverage for a Florida State University shooting. It also alleges ChatGPT provided guidance about ammunition, using different guns, and timing for a school shooting, which the killer allegedly followed.

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