Eight US states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT safety risks

New York (ANTARA) – Eight US states—Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana—have filed separate lawsuits in state courts against OpenAI as part of a coordinated, bipartisan legal effort over alleged safety risks associated with ChatGPT.

According to statements released by the states’ attorneys general and court filings, OpenAI allegedly designed ChatGPT to be overly agreeable and to simulate human empathy, encouraging users to trust the chatbot and spend more time interacting with it.

The lawsuits allege that ChatGPT can reinforce delusional thinking, provide dangerous medical advice and, in some cases, encourage users to harm themselves or others.

The states accuse OpenAI of misleading consumers about ChatGPT’s safety and failing to adequately disclose known risks, allegedly in violation of their consumer protection laws.

They are asking the courts to order OpenAI to change how ChatGPT works and strengthen user safeguards, as well as impose civil penalties and award compensation.

Some of the lawsuits also seek restrictions on the development of AI models capable of improving themselves, unless their alignment with human values can be demonstrated.

OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri said the company had introduced age-appropriate safety measures, including parental controls, reminders to take breaks and age-appropriate model safeguards.

The company would continue working with experts to strengthen its protections, and with the states to develop AI policies that could be applied more widely across the industry, Pusateri said.

The coordinated legal action follows a lawsuit filed by Florida’s attorney general last June over alleged safety risks associated with ChatGPT.