Florida lawsuit accuses OpenAI of ignoring safety warnings and putting children at risk

Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has initiated a groundbreaking state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging deceptive practices. The lawsuit claims OpenAI knowingly promoted its ChatGPT artificial intelligence to the public, including children, while intentionally concealing serious safety risks and disregarding internal warnings about the product's potential dangers.

The civil complaint further asserts that ChatGPT poses a significant threat to minors by collecting their data without adequate parental supervision, contributing to behavioral addiction, and causing cognitive harm. The state also alleges that the chatbot has facilitated violence and self-harm, citing the 2025 Florida State University mass shooting, where the perpetrator reportedly used ChatGPT for planning, as well as other instances. Florida is seeking financial damages and an injunction to halt these purportedly harmful and deceptive practices. In response, an OpenAI spokesperson has stated that ChatGPT was not responsible for the FSU tragedy, asserting that it provided only factual information broadly available online and did not encourage illegal or harmful activities.