Eight US states sue OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT harms young users

A bipartisan group of eight US states said on Wednesday they had ​sued OpenAI in courts across the country over harms they ‌say ChatGPT has caused to their residents, alleging the chatbot has coached its users – including teenagers – to harm themselves or others.

Attorneys general from the states, which include Iowa, ​Kansas and Arizona, filed the lawsuits independently in state courts, claiming ​ChatGPT is designed to be agreeable and engaging to earn the trust of users. But the chatbot reinforces delusions, encourages dangerous ​behavior and assists users in planning violence like mass shootings, the lawsuits ​claim.

The lawsuits represent the most significant coordinated state action against an artificial intelligence (AI) company, adding to a wave of legal challenges OpenAI faces as it prepares for a public listing. Florida's attorney general filed the first such state suit in June.

The ​lawsuits accuse the company of violating state consumer protection laws by misleading users about ‌the safety of ChatGPT. The states also allege that the company created a public nuisance by endangering the health of their residents.

The lawsuits seek orders forcing OpenAI to make changes to how ChatGPT works. Among other things, ​the states want ​the company barred from developing AI models that can improve themselves unless it can ensure those models are aligned with human ​values.

The states, which also include Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska ​and West ⁠Virginia, are also seeking civil monetary penalties for OpenAI's violations of state law as well as damages.

The company is also facing ​dozens of lawsuits by private plaintiffs, alleging ChatGPT helped users plan mass shootings or other violence.