Eight states filed lawsuits against OpenAI on Wednesday alleging that the artificial intelligence company's ChatGPT chatbot is an unsafe product that's harmed children and deceived parents.
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. She said Iowa's lawsuit aims to "vindicate the rights of Iowans affected by OpenAI's willful, dangerous, reckless, and unlawful conduct."
"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."
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has built age-specific protections into its product that "many other AI products lack." He added that OpenAI is working with states to advance policies that will 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," Pusateri said.
OpenAI is facing mounting scrutiny over its safety and security practices, including around how the company is working to protect children. In a number of wrongful death lawsuits, ChatGPT is blamed for driving users to experience harmful delusions and, in some cases, to commit suicide. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also sued OpenAI in June, alleging the company knowingly released an unsafe product that could harm users.
OpenAI has taken steps to enhance safety features for parents and children over the last year, and in August it launched a dedicated experience for minors called ChatGPT for Teens. That product includes a range of educational features and age-appropriate safeguards that are intended to reduce exposure to developmentally inappropriate or harmful content.
"Teens should be able to use AI to learn, create, and explore," OpenAI said in a release at the time. "But that access should come with protections that reflect their developmental stage, reinforce real-world relationships, and support healthy use over time."
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in distress, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
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