As many as eight US states have filed lawsuits against artificial intelligence company OpenAI, accusing the company of endangering children through its ChatGPT chatbot and misleading parents about its safety.
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and West Virginia announced their actions at a news conference on Wednesday, while Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana filed separate lawsuits in their respective state courts.
“OpenAI is hurting kids, and they are lying to Iowans,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said according to a statement shared by her office.
“OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it’s giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide—all while pretending to be their fake friend," she added, saying that the lawsuit is aimed at "protecting our kids and holding OpenAI accountable under our state law.”
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said the company is endangering children, deceiving parents, and violating state consumer protection laws.
“We must do all we can to protect kids,” McCuskey said, adding that the chatbot lacks adequate safeguards for conversations involving suicide, school shootings, and self-harm.
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe for minors despite what he described as serious flaws that had led to suicide, violence, and other harm.
“This lawsuit simply holds OpenAI to the same standards under Nebraska law as any other company,” Hilgers said in a statement on US social media company X.
The lawsuits seek to compel OpenAI to comply with state consumer protection laws and stop what the attorneys general describe as dangerous and unlawful conduct.
Addiction among minors
Earlier this year, Florida became the first US state to sue OpenAI, alleging that its flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, caused a range of harms and that the company knowingly released an unsafe product despite warnings about potential risks.
The lawsuit, filed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, accuses OpenAI of allowing ChatGPT to assist mass shooters, encourage users to commit suicide, impair critical thinking skills and contribute to addiction among minors.
According to the filing, the alleged harms stem from what the lawsuit describes as OpenAI's pursuit of dominance in the rapidly expanding AI sector.
"This litany of harms is driven by Defendants' insatiable quest to win the AI arms race and amass large fortunes, despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT," the lawsuit states.
