Eight state attorneys general sued OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging ChatGPT is an unsafe product that harmed children and deceived parents.
The big picture: Each state filed separately in its own court. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced her suit at a press conference alongside the attorneys general of Kansas, Nebraska and West Virginia.
What they're saying: "OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans," Bird said, adding that her suit seeks to hold the company accountable under Iowa's Consumer Fraud Act.
- The Iowa filing alleges ChatGPT gave dangerous medical advice, encouraged people to hurt others and coached users toward suicide while presenting itself as a friend.
By the numbers: ChatGPT commands nearly half the American chatbot marketplace, per the Iowa release. OpenAI released it in 2022 as the first generative chatbot to reach widespread public use.
The other side: OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company builds age-specific protections that many other AI products lack, and that it is working with states on policies for the whole 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.
The backstory: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI in June on similar grounds, and the company faces wrongful death suits blaming ChatGPT for harmful delusions and for deaths by suicide.
What's next: OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens in August with age-appropriate safeguards. Iowa has published its full petition, and the other seven cases proceed separately.
Why it matters: State consumer fraud law is becoming the fastest route to regulating AI products in the US, and eight simultaneous filings put OpenAI in front of eight different judges at once.
