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Florida opens criminal probe over ChatGPT’s alleged role in FSU shooting

▶ Watch Video: Open AI, Chat GPT investigated criminally in a probe by Florida’s Attorney General

Florida’s attorney general announced Tuesday that his office has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI after reviewing conversation logs between its generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, and a Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding several others after opening fire on campus last April.

“My prosecutors have looked at this and they’ve told me if it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said during a news conference Tuesday. The shooting suspect, Phoenix Ikner, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled to begin in October, court records show. 

Uthmeier said his team determined that ChatGPT offered “significant advice” to the alleged shooter, advising him on what type of gun to use and whether it would be effective at short range. 

He said Florida is issuing subpoenas to OpenAI requesting records of the company’s policies and training materials for when users make threats to harm themselves or others. The office is also subpoenaing training materials regarding cooperation with law enforcement and policies for reporting possible crimes.

An OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday that the company identified an account believed to be associated with Ikner and shared it with law enforcement. The company said that ChatGPT “did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity” and that the bot provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found in public sources on the internet. 

“Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” OpenAI said in its statement.

The company said it will continue to cooperate with authorities and is continuously working to strengthen safeguards, detect harmful intent and limit misuse.

Chat logs shared by the Florida State Attorney’s Office with CBS News reveal messages between the suspect and ChatGPT in which Ikner asked about the lethality of certain shotgun shells, if school shooters were sent to maximum security prisons, and whether three shooting victims at FSU would garner media attention.

He also queried the bot about the busiest time at the FSU student union, where the deadly shooting later took place.

How the Secret Service is cracking down on card-skimming scams

▶ Watch Video: See how the Secret Service is cracking down on card-skimming scams Many Americans may have encountered a predatory scam — and may not even know it. The U.S. Secret Service says the use of skimming devices, which capture account details and personal identification numbers from bank and government benefits cards, is on the rise. The devices can be set up in seconds on debit and credit card readers. CBS News joined the Secret Service, which investigates financial crimes as well as protecting the president, for a ride-along while agents searched for skimmers at hundreds of retailers across Los Angeles. Once the device is in place on a card terminal or ATM, it collects data every time a card is swiped. Often, a wireless transmitter hidden inside the skimmer sends the data to the scammer. Secret Service analyst Vince Porter told CBS News that officials believe a single skimmer can net up to $1 million in stolen funds.The devices are tough to recognize and harder to remove — in some cases, law enforcement has to pry the skimmer off, leaving residue behind. There's no way to know how long a device has been in use, Porter said. In 2025 alone, the Secret Service removed more than 400 illegal skimming devices, which the agency said accounts for just a fraction of the devices out there. A CBS News investigation has found 32 active federal probes spanning 15 states.The agency and law enforcement partners have noticed an increase in skimming activity in the past two years. As the crime becomes more common, the losses increase. Skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year, according to Secret Service estimates. Michael Peck, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service's Criminal Investigative Division, said that groups of organized criminals from outside the country are responsible for the scam. The groups enter the U.S. from Eastern Europe, Asia and Central and South America, Peck said, with many crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to enter the country. One subject was apprehended after traveling down from Canada on a Jet Ski, Peck told CBS News. "A one-stop crime" Criminals often target stores that take EBT cards, which hold government benefit money. A single government assistance card can receive thousands of taxpayer dollars from federal and state programs, including food stamps and Section 8 housing payments, each month. Many government assistance cards have to be swiped, leaving them without the added security of tap-and-pay or a chip. When stores advertise acceptance of these funds, they can become a target, Porter said. "It's a one-stop crime," he said. Victims often have little recourse. Once the benefits are stolen, they can be nearly impossible to recover because of the number of agencies involved in distributing the funds. Mary Bowen, a mother of six who relies on assistance, said she can't pay her rent or buy groceries because her benefits were stolen last week. "It just disappeared. I don't even have cash in here," Bowen said. "Literally, I've been getting food from my friends because they took everything. They took it all from me." As part of this operation, law enforcement visited 328 businesses and inspected 1,749 devices in California. They seized 16 skimmers, preventing an estimated $16.6 million in fraud loss, according to the Secret Service. Similar operations have been carried out in dozens of U.S. cities. Scams are most likely to be found in major cities like Los Angeles. But even in small towns, skimmers can pose a threat. To stay safe, avoid swiping as much as possible, Peck said. Government benefit cards usually need to be swiped, putting them at a disadvantage. But for those who have the option, using tap-and-pay is "the best way to protect yourself as a consumer," Peck said. 
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