Eight US states have filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing it of harming children and misleading customers about ChatGPT’s safety. Reuters reported the lawsuits earlier. The states are Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana.
The complaints allege that OpenAI unlawfully put profits ahead of safety as it developed ChatGPT. They claim the company violated state consumer protection laws by failing to warn customers about the chatbot’s risks. The states cite lawsuits brought by families of teens and adults who allege ChatGPT played a role in their loved ones’ deaths.
The states say OpenAI presented ChatGPT as a “safe, youth-appropriate tool that puts safety first” while it was “dangerous to vulnerable users.” The complaints allege the chatbot could degrade critical thinking, encourage paranoia and delusions, give dangerous medical advice, and promote unhealthy behavior and relationships.
Read nextResearchers find gaps in OpenAI and Google image safeguardsThe lawsuits also accuse OpenAI of collecting data from minors and doing too little to prevent underage users from accessing ChatGPT. They cite recent rogue AI hacking incidents as evidence of what they call the company’s “recklessness.”
Arizona’s lawsuit says OpenAI has shifted from its original public-first nonprofit mission into a company driven by a “profit‑at‑all‑costs mindset that sidelines essential safeguards.”
OpenAI points to its safeguards
In a statement emailed to The Verge, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has “built industry-leading age-specific protections” into ChatGPT. The Verge added the statement in an October 14 update.
“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. We’re committed to working with states on advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry - not just one company,” Pusateri said.
The states are asking the courts to impose civil penalties and order OpenAI to stop misleading the public about ChatGPT’s safety. Some also seek the deletion of personal data they say was collected unlawfully.
