A bipartisan group of eight US states said on Wednesday that they had filed lawsuits against OpenAI in courts across the country. The states say ChatGPT has harmed their residents, alleging the chatbot has coached users, including teenagers, to hurt themselves or others.
Attorneys general from the states, which include Iowa, Kansas and Arizona, filed the suits separately in state courts. The lawsuits claim ChatGPT is built to be agreeable and engaging in order to win users’ trust, and that it reinforces delusions, encourages risky conduct and helps people plan violence such as mass shootings.
Consumer protection and public nuisance allegations against OpenAI
The lawsuits accuse OpenAI of breaking state consumer protection laws by misleading users about how safe ChatGPT is. The states also allege the company created a public nuisance by endangering their residents’ health.
The suits ask courts to order changes to how ChatGPT works. Among other demands, the states want OpenAI barred from developing self-improving AI models unless it can ensure those models are aligned with human values. The states, which also include Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia, are seeking civil monetary penalties and damages.
Wider legal pressure as OpenAI prepares for listing
The move marks the most significant coordinated state action against an artificial intelligence company. It adds to a growing set of legal challenges OpenAI faces as it prepares for a public listing. Florida’s attorney general filed the first such state suit in June.
A spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company also faces dozens of lawsuits from private plaintiffs, who allege ChatGPT helped users plan mass shootings or other violence.
