Florida filed a legal complaint on Monday against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, alleging the developer of the ChatGPT chatbot proceeded to release the product despite safety warnings and an awareness of resulting harms to users.
The suit, lodged in state court, contends OpenAI violated product liability statutes and advances claims of negligence as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices. Among the remedies the state is pursuing are civil penalties and a court order that would bar the company from gathering certain categories of data from users younger than 13 unless a parent or guardian provides consent, along with unspecified additional changes the state seeks to impose.
At a press conference announcing the action, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier criticized OpenAI and its leadership, saying, "Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of kids." He added, "They have chosen profit over public safety. We're not going to stand for it here in Florida."
The filing appears to represent the first instance of a state bringing this type of suit against OpenAI. The company, however, is already facing multiple lawsuits brought by private individuals who allege a range of harms affecting both children and adults.
In response to earlier litigation on related matters, OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing. The company has stated that safety remains a priority and that it has implemented measures intended to improve ChatGPT's training so the system better recognizes and responds to signs of mental or emotional distress.
The complaint and the company's prior statements together frame the current dispute as a legal clash over product safety obligations, data practices for minors, and the adequacy of mitigation steps the company has taken in response to concerns raised by users and litigants.
Key procedural elements of the lawsuit, specific evidentiary claims and the timeline for resolution will emerge through the state court process. At present, the state is seeking civil penalties and a targeted prohibition on certain data collection from minors without parental permission, plus other changes specified in the complaint.
Contextual note: The complaint is characterized in the suit documents as a state-level enforcement action targeting alleged legal violations by the company and its leadership, and it coexists with multiple ongoing private suits that raise similar complaints about harms attributed to the chatbot.