OpenAI
Eight states sue OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT endangers children
Eight state attorneys general filed separate suits in their own courts, alleging OpenAI deceived parents and failed to protect minors.
Eight states have sued OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT endangers children and that the company deceived parents about its safety. Each suit was filed separately in a state court.
Eight Attorneys General Filed in Their Own Courts
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana sued Oct. 14, The Verge reported, crediting Reuters with the first report. West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey announced his state’s suit at a press conference with Iowa’s Brenna Bird, Kansas’s Kris Kobach and Nebraska’s Mike Hilgers. His office’s release says Arkansas, and a “bipartisan coalition” of Arizona, Idaho and Montana, sued in their own courts.
The Complaints Allege OpenAI Misrepresented Safety
The complaints allege OpenAI presented ChatGPT as a “safe, youth-appropriate tool that puts safety first” while it was “dangerous to vulnerable users,” The Verge reported. The states cite “encouraging paranoias and delusions” and “offering dangerous medical advice.” They also accuse OpenAI of collecting data from minors and doing too little to keep underage users off.
McCuskey said: “There is no age verification and there are no guardrails for conversations about suicides, school shootings or self-harm.” The release alleges ChatGPT was designed to be “overly agreeable.”
The Suits Cite Rogue Agents and Deaths
Iowa and Nebraska cite OpenAI’s rogue-agent incidents, including the Hugging Face hack, Engadget reported. They also point to cases in which ChatGPT allegedly enabled a teen’s suicide and gave incorrect medical information that led to an overdose. Those led to separate wrongful death suits.
The West Virginia release says OpenAI “recently admitted” its models have “gone rogue” when agents were unleashed online. The suits cite the incidents as evidence of alleged “recklessness,” The Verge reported.
The States Seek Different Remedies
The states ask courts to impose civil penalties and to make OpenAI stop misleading the public, The Verge reported. Some also seek deletion of unlawfully collected personal data. Engadget reported that remedies vary because state consumer and child protection laws differ. Arkansas also asks its court to halt “testing of advanced AI models until adequate safeguards are implemented.”
OpenAI Points to Existing Protections
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri emailed The Verge a statement saying the company has “built industry-leading age-specific protections” into ChatGPT. “We’re committed to working with states on advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry - not just one company,” he said.
Engadget reported that OpenAI has backed the Kids Online Safety Act, which could require design changes to products if enacted.
What It Means for the Labs
A lab sued in eight courts on one day answers eight sets of demands. Arkansas alone asks a court to pause testing of advanced models. We think the suits also widen what a safety claim covers. They put chatbot conversations with children next to the behavior of AI agents on the open internet. OpenAI says it wants rules that apply to the whole industry. That request helps only if such rules arrive before more states write their own demands.