Florida is officially the first state in the country to sue OpenAI, targeting the tech giant and its CEO Sam Altman over claims that their popular ChatGPT product is actively harming users. Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the lawsuit on Monday, accusing the company of prioritizing the artificial intelligence arms race over public safety.
While other states have spent the last few years taking massive tech companies to court over data privacy, consumer protection, and social media addiction, Florida is breaking new ground by going directly after OpenAI. Recently, states have started turning their legal attention to the broader AI industry—such as Kentucky suing the chatbot maker Character Technologies earlier this year over safety concerns.
However, Florida’s sweeping lawsuit marks the very first time a state government has specifically targeted the maker of ChatGPT. Uthmeier has publicly stated that he expects other state attorneys general to soon follow his lead against OpenAI.
The core of Florida’s lawsuit relies on the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The complaint accuses OpenAI of two counts of negligence and two counts of violating product liability laws. According to the state, the company built its massive market value through a “web of deceit and the exploitation of users” while introducing a product that carries a serious risk of cognitive decline, addiction, and violence.
The legal allegations are severe. The lawsuit claims ChatGPT has diminished users’ critical thinking skills, encouraged vulnerable people to commit suicide, and aided mass shooters. Uthmeier’s office previously launched an investigation last April to determine if ChatGPT gave a gunman advice before a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University. He has also pointed to a separate killing of two students at the University of South Florida as another instance where the chatbot allegedly facilitated violence.
“Because of Defendants’ misrepresentations about ChatGPT and their careless introduction of ChatGPT to Florida and the world, mass shooters have been aided and abetted in deadly rampages, vulnerable people have been encouraged into suicide, professionals have suffered public humiliation, users have lost critical thinking skills, and minors have become addicted to a tool that feigns human compassion to collect their data with no parental oversight,” the legal complaint states.
Uthmeier emphasized that tech leaders need to be held accountable during a Monday event in West Palm Beach.
“People are getting hurt; parents are getting deceived and they need to pay for it,” Uthmeier said. He also argued that tech companies have a duty to alert law enforcement when users discuss violence. “Where there is clear evidence of attempts to engage in violence and kill others, these people know how to analyze data better than anybody in the world—the authorities sure as heck better be notified.”
The state’s lawsuit adds to a mounting pile of legal trouble for OpenAI. Seven families of victims from a February mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Canada are currently suing the company, alleging the attacker used ChatGPT to plan the massacre. The company also faces several wrongful death lawsuits linking the chatbot to suicides and harmful delusions, along with ongoing litigation involving Elon Musk.
OpenAI pushed back against the claims, insisting that user safety is a priority.
“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,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement. “AI is a new and powerful technology, and we believe minors need significant protection, which is why we have put in place industry-leading protections and policies.”
The company noted that it has built-in safety features for younger users, including age prediction tools, default protective settings for users with unverified ages, and monitoring options for parents.
“We know pointing to this work will not bring a child back, but we’re committed to getting this right,” the spokesperson added.
OpenAI also states on its website that the platform is trained to handle sensitive situations. “We have safeguards in place to help people, especially teens, when conversations turn sensitive. We continue improving ChatGPT’s training to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support.”
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