Florida sues OpenAI over ChatGPT safety claims

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman, accusing the company of misleading consumers about the safety of ChatGPT while exposing children and teenagers to potential harm.

The lawsuit, which Florida describes as the first state-led legal action against OpenAI, seeks financial damages, court-ordered restrictions on ChatGPT and personal liability against Altman.

“We recently filed a monumental civil lawsuit against Sam Altman and ChatGPT for endangering our kids and deceiving parents into believing that this application is safe for use,”

Uthmeier said during a press conference.

The complaint alleges that OpenAI misrepresented ChatGPT as safe despite exposing users to risks including self-harm, violence, addiction, cognitive decline and misinformation.

Florida officials cited several criminal investigations and incidents in which individuals allegedly used ChatGPT before committing violent acts or seeking information related to illegal activities.

The lawsuit follows an investigation launched by the attorney general’s office in April and comes amid broader legal scrutiny of OpenAI over claims that its chatbot contributed to harmful behaviour.

OpenAI recently introduced new safety measures designed to better identify signs of self-harm, suicide risk and potential violence by analysing user conversations over time rather than individual prompts.