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On Thursday, Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier announced his office was investigating OpenAI over a deadly school shooting last year that victims claim was at least partially inspired by conversations with ChatGPT.
The shooting, which took place at Florida State University almost exactly a year ago, resulted in the death of two students and seven injuries.
“AI should advance mankind, not destroy it,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.”
As the chatbot continues to be embroiled in controversy — with lawsuits accusing its maker of having the tool play a role in a wave of suicides and murder amid reports of “AI psychosis” — OpenAI is actively seeking to absolve itself of legal responsibility.
As Wired reports, the company is backing a bill in Illinois that would shield companies from liability in cases where AI causes “critical harms,” including mass deaths, injuries of over 100 people, or over $1 billion in property damage.
Experts are warning that the bill, dubbed SB 3444, could set a national standard for the industry if it were to pass, letting AI companies off the hook if they’re involved in a future disaster.
It’s easy to see the appeal of such a regulatory approach for OpenAI.
“We support approaches like this because they focus on what matters most: Reducing the risk of serious harm from the most advanced AI systems while still allowing this technology to get into the hands of the people and businesses — small and big — of Illinois,” spokesperson Jamie Radice told Wired in a statement.
“They also help avoid a patchwork of state-by-state rules and move toward clearer, more consistent national standards,” she added.
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