Eight states sue OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT is unsafe for children and deceived parents
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana each sued OpenAI in their own state courts, alleging ChatGPT is an unsafe product that has harmed children. OpenAI says it has built age-specific protections that many other AI products lack.
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Eight states filed lawsuits against OpenAI on October 14 alleging that the company's ChatGPT chatbot is an unsafe product that has harmed children and deceived parents, CNBC reported. Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana have individually sued OpenAI in their own state courts, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a release cited by CNBC.
"OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans," Bird said in a statement. "OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it's giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide — all while pretending to be their fake friend. My lawsuit is about protecting our kids and holding OpenAI accountable under our state law." She said Iowa's suit aims to "vindicate the rights of Iowans affected by OpenAI's willful, dangerous, reckless, and unlawful conduct."
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has built age-specific protections into its product that "many other AI products lack," and that OpenAI is working with states to advance policies that would apply to the entire industry. "While no system can be perfect, we'll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards, such as the parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections that exist today," he said.
CNBC noted that OpenAI is facing mounting scrutiny over its safety and security practices, including wrongful death lawsuits that blame ChatGPT for driving users to harmful delusions and, in some cases, suicide. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI in June, alleging the company knowingly released an unsafe product. In August, OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, a dedicated experience for minors with educational features and age-appropriate safeguards.