Florida Attorney General Launches Investigation into OpenAI Over Security Threats

Florida's Attorney General James Utmayer has announced the launch of an official investigation into OpenAI — the company behind the world's most popular chatbot, ChatGPT. The state authorities' claims span several directions: national security threats, possible technology leakage to US adversaries, and direct links between the chatbot and dangerous and illegal forms of behavior. In an official statement, Utmayer indicated that there are serious concerns that OpenAI's data and technologies are "falling into the hands of America's enemies, particularly the Chinese Communist Party."

This rhetoric is well-known in the context of American technology security politics — from TikTok to Huawei. Nevertheless, the attorney general insists that his office has concrete grounds for investigation, not merely political motives. Beyond geopolitical risks, Utmayer pointed to alleged connections between ChatGPT and illegal activities.

According to him, the service was "involved in criminal behavior" related to materials depicting sexual violence against children, as well as "encouraging" self-harm among users. These are far from the first accusations of this kind against large language models. The question of how effective the protective filters in AI systems are and how they respond to dangerous requests has long been a subject of heated debate in the regulatory and academic communities.

OpenAI has repeatedly updated ChatGPT's safety policies, but critics believe these measures are insufficient. The most resonant accusation was the claim that ChatGPT could have "helped" a person suspected of shooting at Florida State University in April 2025. Details of this episode have not yet been fully disclosed: it is unknown exactly how the chatbot was used and to what extent interaction with it could have influenced the suspect's actions.

Nevertheless, the very fact of such a statement from the attorney general lends the investigation significant political weight and attracts widespread media attention. OpenAI has long been under pressure from both federal regulators and state authorities. Over the past two years, the company has transformed from a non-profit research organization into a full-fledged commercial business with a valuation exceeding $300 billion.

This structural change itself prompted a series of investigations — in particular, a lawsuit by California's attorney general challenging the legitimacy of the transition to a commercial model. The Florida investigation opens yet another legal front in an already complex regulatory landscape. It should be emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages.

The attorney general's statement contains no specific charges or documented evidence — it is rather a declaration of intent. To hold the company actually accountable will require months of evidence gathering and likely court proceedings. Nevertheless, for OpenAI, such publicity creates additional reputational risks at a time when the company is actively pursuing government contracts and partnerships with US federal structures.

The Florida investigation reflects a broader trend: state attorneys general are increasingly taking on major AI companies without waiting for federal regulation. In the absence of a unified artificial intelligence law at the US level, it is the states that are becoming the first line of oversight. For the industry as a whole, this means a fragmented regulatory environment where each state can impose its own requirements and interpretations — and where one chatbot can simultaneously be the subject of investigations across different parts of the country.