Florida’s Attorney General, James Usmayer, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Monday, claiming that the company’s ChatGPT product is harmful to users. This action holds CEO Sam Altman accountable for what Usmayer describes as prioritizing profit over user safety. The lawsuit suggests that ChatGPT has played a role in enabling mass shootings, impairing critical thinking, and contributing to suicides, a report from CNBC noted.
This marks Florida as the first state in the U.S. to take legal action against OpenAI, although other states are pursuing cases against various major tech firms. Additionally, OpenAI faces lawsuits from the families of victims of a shooting incident at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in Canada, alleging that the shooter utilized ChatGPT in planning the attack. Wrongful death lawsuits are also being lodged against the company, accusing it of causing suicides and fostering harmful delusions.
The lawsuit states that OpenAI’s expansion has been built on misleading practices, exploiting users—especially Floridians—by utilizing their data and compromising security to enhance its market standing at significant costs. OpenAI and the Attorney General’s office have yet to respond to inquiries regarding the lawsuit.
Reportedly, the lawsuit levels two counts of negligence and two counts surrounding product liability violations against OpenAI. It alleges that ChatGPT presents a “substantial risk of addiction, cognitive decline, suicide, violence, and related harm to users in Florida” through its design, marketing, and distribution.
The complaint emphasizes that the defendants’ misleading claims about ChatGPT and their reckless introduction of it have contributed to aiding mass shootings, promoting violence, pushing vulnerable individuals toward suicide, and leading to the degradation of crucial thinking among users, particularly minors.
Last April, Usmayer initiated an investigation into whether ChatGPT provided guidance to the shooter in the Florida State University incident, citing that and another incident at the University of South Florida as evidence of the chatbot’s potential role in violence. Usmayer underscored a belief that Altman is more focused on advancing AI technology than ensuring the safety of children.
In a statement, OpenAI claimed to have implemented safeguards designed to assist individuals, especially teenagers, during sensitive discussions, and they are continually enhancing ChatGPT’s training to better identify and respond to signs of emotional distress.
The lawsuit aims to compel OpenAI to adhere to the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Usmayer expressed confidence that other states might follow Florida’s lead, stating that those with the expertise to analyze data about violent intentions should alert authorities.
