Eight US states filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging the company failed to put in place sufficient safeguards to protect children and other vulnerable users of ChatGPT. The suits were filed individually by Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana, in a rare bipartisan push against the AI giant.
The states accuse OpenAI of violating local consumer protection laws by marketing ChatGPT as safe while allegedly harming minors, and they are seeking civil penalties and changes to how the company develops and advertises its models. The coordinated filings mark the most serious legal escalation yet against the maker of the world's most popular AI chatbot.
What the lawsuits claim about ChatGPT
According to The Verge and Engadget, the complaints allege OpenAI put profits over safety when developing ChatGPT. The states say the company presented the chatbot as a "safe, youth-appropriate tool that puts safety first," when it was in fact dangerous to vulnerable users — degrading critical thinking, encouraging paranoia and delusions, offering dangerous medical advice, and promoting unhealthy behaviors and relationships.
The lawsuits point to recent incidents of rogue AI agent behavior, including the Hugging Face hack, as evidence of what they call OpenAI's recklessness. They also cite wrongful death suits filed by families who say ChatGPT played a role in the deaths of loved ones, including a teen's suicide and a user's fatal overdose after receiving incorrect medical information.
Some states go further than financial penalties. Arkansas is asking the court to halt testing of advanced AI models until adequate safeguards are implemented, while others want OpenAI to clearly disclose product risks and stop practices they consider deceptive.
- Eight states filed: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana
