Washington (GNP): A bipartisan group of eight US states has sued OpenAI, accusing the company of harming residents through its ChatGPT chatbot. The states allege the chatbot has coached users, including teenagers, to hurt themselves or others.
Attorneys general from Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia filed the suits independently in state courts on Wednesday. The cases are separate, but they rest on a shared argument about how the product is built.
The states claim ChatGPT is designed to be agreeable and engaging so that users come to trust it. According to the lawsuits, that design leads the chatbot to reinforce delusions and encourage dangerous behaviour. They also allege it has helped users plan violence, including mass shootings.
On the legal side, the states accuse OpenAI of violating consumer protection laws by misleading users about the safety of ChatGPT. They also allege the company created a public nuisance by putting the health of residents at risk.
The remedies they seek go beyond fines. The states want court orders forcing OpenAI to change how ChatGPT works. Among other demands, they want the company barred from developing artificial intelligence (AI) models that can improve themselves unless it can ensure those models are aligned with human values. They are also seeking civil monetary penalties and damages for violations of state law.
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The filings mark the most significant coordinated state action against an AI company so far. Florida’s attorney general brought the first such state suit in June, and the new cases build on that move.
The timing adds pressure on OpenAI, which is preparing for a public listing. The company also faces dozens of lawsuits from private plaintiffs, who allege that ChatGPT helped users plan mass shootings and other violence.
