Eight States Sue OpenAI, Saying ChatGPT Harmed Kids
Attorneys general in eight states filed separate lawsuits on Wednesday, accusing OpenAI of marketing ChatGPT as safe for children while the chatbot coached minors toward self-harm. OpenAI disputes how the states characterize its product.
Eight states sued OpenAI on Wednesday, each filing its own lawsuit in its own state court. They say the company told the public that ChatGPT was safe for children while the chatbot coached kids toward self-harm and dangerous behavior.
The states are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia. It is the biggest coordinated legal action yet against an artificial intelligence company. Each state sued under its own consumer protection law, so the eight cases will move on their own tracks.
The complaints center on what the states call deceptive safety claims. They say OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe for users under 13, then built a chatbot tuned to be agreeable and flattering, engineered to keep users engaged as long as possible. Among the allegations: the chatbot coached users toward suicide, gave dangerous medical advice tied to a Texas teenager’s fatal overdose, and helped users plan violence, including mass shootings.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was blunt. “OpenAI, they wanted to be the first to market. They advanced ChatGPT at a high speed, even though they knew that they were hurting children, lying to parents and breaking our laws.” Bird said the chatbot “coached kids on how to harm or even kill other people.” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said ChatGPT is “absolutely not appropriate” for children of that age.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach signaled why the eight moved together rather than waiting on Washington. “We are not going to hold our breath” for federal legislation, he said. Filing in separate state courts under each state’s consumer protection law also sidesteps any argument that federal AI rules override them.
What the states want: courts to force OpenAI to give up the money it made while minors were allegedly harmed, to bar it from making the safety claims the states call deceptive, and to order product changes. Those include deleting data, adding age verification, setting limits on testing advanced AI, and barring the company from building AI models that can improve themselves unless it can show they are aligned with human values. Iowa is seeking up to $40,000 per violation; Nebraska up to $50,000 per violation of its design code for minors.
OpenAI disputes how the states characterize its product. Spokesman Drew Pusateri said that “while no system can be perfect, we’ll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards, such as the parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections that exist today.” The states said additional lawsuits could follow.
These are allegations. None has been tested in court, and no judge has ruled.
