Florida's top prosecutor says a chatbot can't be charged with a crime. He wants the company that built it to be instead.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday he's drafting legislation to punish AI companies when their technology is used to commit crimes.
What Uthmeier Is Actually Proposing
Uthmeier wants "criminal sanctions for these companies where their chatbots break the law," he said at a news conference.
"AI is not a silent tool," Uthmeier said. "It answers the questions, picks the hour, chooses the place, and walks someone through the plan."
His core argument centers on accountability. "A chatbot cannot be charged, but the corporation that designed it, trained it, and collected the subscription can," he said.
The Cases Behind the Push
This isn't Uthmeier's first move against an AI company. He filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman in June.
That suit followed a criminal probe Uthmeier opened after a Florida State University shooting. The suspect was found to have used ChatGPT while planning an attack that killed two people and injured six.
A separate case adds weight to his argument. A similar case involves a suspect in the double murder of two University of South Florida students in the Tampa area. He allegedly used ChatGPT before the crime.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass pointed to a broader pattern too. He noted AI has increasingly appeared in child predator and abuse cases the department investigates.
What the Legislation Would Actually Cover
The final legislative language is still being drafted before submission to lawmakers in Tallahassee. Uthmeier outlined several stipulations he plans to seek.
Companies would be judged by their products' words and actions. Any company with practical control over an AI system's design would fall under the law's coverage.
Uthmeier wants the legislation to impose heavy fines on companies found liable, along with restitution payments to victims.
Where This Fits Florida's Broader AI Fight
This proposal adds to a growing list of Florida AI battles this year. State lawmakers already passed SB 484 regulating hyperscale data centers, while a separate AI Bill of Rights companion bill stalled.
Uthmeier's push takes a different angle entirely, focused on liability for harmful outcomes rather than infrastructure or consumer privacy.
What Comes Next
Uthmeier hasn't specified an exact filing date for the legislation, only that it's coming to the next legislative session.
For AI companies operating in Florida, that leaves a genuine open question. What "practical control" over a chatbot's design actually means in court is a definition Tallahassee hasn't written yet, and won't until this bill gets a hearing.
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