Florida today became the first U.S. state to sue OpenAI Group PBC and its chief executive, alleging that its product ChatGPT can be harmful to its users and that the company has failed to make clear these dangers to the public.
“Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”
In an 83-page complaint, Uthmeier claims OpenAI is “attributable to a web of deceit and the exploitation of users (including Floridians), leveraging their data and safety to boost OpenAI’s market value at unacceptable costs.” In a litany of criticism, the lawsuit claims ChatGPT has aided “deadly rampages,” and driven vulnerable people to suicide, while harming consumers’ critical thinking skills and addicted young people by feigning “human compassion.”
The allegations relate to a number of incidents. One of them was a deadly mass shooting in 2025 when the perpetrator was later found to have sought advice from ChatGPT on a number of matters prior to the committing the crime. Uthmeier later announced he would launch a probe into OpenAI for the shooting, as well as mental health concerns related to using the chatbot.
Uthmeier’s office seeks to hold Altman personally liable for the perceived harm he has caused to residents of Florida. The lawsuit states his conduct as CEO shows an “utter disregard for the risk to human life.” Both Altman and the company are accused of negligence and violating Florida’s prohibition on unfair and deceptive practices.
The lawsuit follows several high-profile legal cases for OpenAI. This year, seven families of victims killed in a mass shooting in Canada filed lawsuits against the company, alleging that the shooter had troubling interactions with ChatGPT prior to opening fire on students at a secondary school in the Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
The company is also facing wrongful death lawsuits in which it stands of accused of not implementing guardrails on ChatGPT to ensure it doesn’t offer dangerous advice to young people. In some cases, the chatbot has been accused of being a “suicide coach.” OpenAI is also one of a number of artificial intelligence companies currently defending lawsuits over copyright infringement claims.
State governments seem to be cracking down on AI firms while the Trump administration has taken a friendly approach to Silicon Valley’s major AI companies as the U.S. battles with China for AI supremacy. The New York Times today said Trump has attempted to “neuter state actions,” but several states are opting for regulation nonetheless.
Photo: Unsplash
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