A new federal case, Joshi v. OpenAI Foundation, has been filed alleging that an AI chatbot failed to warn authorities about a user planning a mass shooting at Florida State University. This adds to a growing list of lawsuits regarding AI's role in violent acts, focusing on the 'duty to warn' rather than direct instigation.
The court cases alleging AI psychological harm have progressed from originally teen suicide, to adult suicide, to one adult murder-suicide, and most recently in the coordinated set of *Stacey v. Altman* / *M.G. v. Altman / Younge v. Altman* cases to adult mass shootings. I recently posted about that set of cases regarding the Tumbler Ridge Mass Shooting in Canada, and you can find that post [here](https://niceguygeezer.substack.com/p/new-case-alleging-chatbot-involvement?r=3woycl). Now another mass-shooting AI chatbot federal case has been brought. On May 10, 2026 the case of *Joshi v. OpenAI Foundation, et al.* was filed in the Northern District of Florida, concerning the Florida State University shooting in April 2025 in which two were killed and six were wounded. Like the *Stacy/M.G./Younge* mass-shooting cases, this new case steps back from the more aggressive allegations of earlier chatbot-user-suicide cases that charge the chatbot with taking a well-adjusted user and turning him or her suicidal. All of *Stacy/M.G./Younge* and now *Joshi* avoid alleging the chatbot was the instigator of the mass shooting. Instead, they claim the chatbot and the AI company had a “duty to warn,” that they should have detected from the nature of the chatbot communications that the user was troubled and might be planning violence. The *Joshi* case does go a little further, suggesting that the chatbot in responding to the user’s questions about topics like gun operation and publicity from past shootings, did aid in the planning of the attack, although it is not alleged that the chatbot suggested the user carry out the attack. Because of the less aggressive nature of the claims in all the *Stacy/M.G./Younge/Joshi* cases, in some ways the farthest case toward chatbot-inspired murder of others is still the case of *Lyons v. OpenAI Foundation, et al.*, now pending in the Northern District of California (with a parallel case pending in state court). Although the plaintiff there concedes the chatbot user was already mentally ill, the plaintiff alleges that user’s interactions with the chatbot is what directly led him to kill his mother and then himself. All these mass-shootings AI cases have just started, and it will likely be a while before anything substantial comes out of them. I will keep you posted. \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Please see the [Wombat Collection](https://niceguygeezer.substack.com/p/ai-court-cases-and-rulings) for a listing of all the AI court cases and rulings.
Florida sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in a first-of-its-kind state lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT's safety failures contributed to violent incidents, including a mass shooting and suicides.
The widow of a Florida State University mass shooting victim has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT assisted the suspect in planning the attacks.
OpenAI and Sam Altman face a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT provided dangerous medical advice leading to a user's fatal overdose. This case highlights ongoing legal challenges regarding AI liability for real-world harms and safety failures.
A Canadian mother is suing OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to commit suicide. The lawsuit claims the chatbot failed to flag suicidal conversations and even validated the daughter's thoughts.