Florida lawsuit accuses OpenAI of ignoring safety warnings and putting children at risk

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Tokyo, Japan on 3 February 2025. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters View image in fullscreen OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Tokyo, Japan on 3 February 2025. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters Florida lawsuit accuses OpenAI of ignoring safety warnings and putting children at risk State sues maker of ChatGPT and CEO Sam Altman, alleging company ‘allowed a dangerous product to reach millions’ Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and its CEO, Sam Altman , on Monday alleging that the company concealed serious safety risks with its chatbot. Florida is the first state in the US to sue the artificial intelligence company. The 83-page suit was brought by Florida’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, and alleges that OpenAI “aggressively marketed” ChatGPT to the public while ignoring safety warnings and possible dangers of the product. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians,” Uthmeier said in a statement. A spokesperson for OpenAI pointed to the company’s work around strengthening the safety of its products and said, “losing a child is the most devastating tragedy that can happen to a family, and we know that no words can come close to addressing the pain of such a loss”. The civil lawsuit comes after the state launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI in April over the role of ChatGPT in a mass shooting at Florida State University , where two people were killed and six injured. The shooter had lengthy conversations with the chatbot, asking it things like how many people he should kill to gain national attention, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. ChatGPT responded that three or more people is the “unofficial bar” for widespread media attention, the Journal reported. Uthmeier said he initiated his criminal inquiry into OpenAI after reviewing the conversations the accused shooter had with ChatGPT. In his civil suit filed Monday, the attorney general said he’s seeking damages on behalf of the state’s residents and calling for an order to force OpenAI to end the practices outlined in the suit. Florida’s legal action is part of a groundswell of cases against OpenAI over allegations that its chatbot is exacerbating a mental health crisis and provoking violent acts and suicide. In November, seven complaints were filed against the company blaming ChatGPT for acting as a “suicide coach”. In April, seven more suits were filed against OpenAI by victims’ families over a school shooting in Canada where five people were killed and 27 were injured. Google has also been sued over its Gemini chatbot, which allegedly encouraged a 36-year-old man to stage a “catastrophic accident” and then kill himself. Florida’s complaint against OpenAI begins with a screenshot taken from the company’s website where it says ChatGPT is “built with safety in mind”. It’s followed by the two-word sentence from Florid