Florida Sues OpenAI And Sam Altman: Alleges ChatGPT Was Released Despite Risks To Children And Public Safety — Know The AI Firm’s Response

Florida has become the first US state to sue AI firm OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman for knowingly releasing and aggressively marketing ChatGPT despite what it describes as serious risks to children and the public. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in Florida’s Tenth Circuit Court, alleges that OpenAI concealed known dangers associated with its AI chatbot while prioritising growth and profits over user safety.  

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a press conference that “Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids. They have chosen profit over public safety, and we’re not going to stand for it here in Florida.” as per CNN quoted. 

The lawsuit accuses the ChatGPT’s parent organisation of deceptive and unfair trade practices, negligence, and violation of product liability laws. The lawsuit also seeks to hold the CEO personally liable for the alleged harm caused to Floridians. 

Uthmeier further said that “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians. 

Children’s Safety and Protection 

The key element of the Florida’s case is the claim that OpenAI failed to implement meaningful safeguard for young users. As per the lawsuit, the free version of the ChatGPT has no age verification or gate keeping mechanism and does not require children’s accounts to be linked to a parent’s account. 

The lawsuit further alleges that parents have limited visibility into their kid’s interactions with the Chatbot and cannot request access to information shared with ChatGPT. 

Florida officials argue that OpenAI collected data from minors without meaningful parental oversight and failed to adequately warn users regarding the potential risks of the technology. 

ChatGPT Accused of Self-Harm and Violence

The lawsuit also consists of allegations that the chatbot has encouraged suicide, contributed to behavioral addiction and cognitive harm, helped users plan crimes and weakened critical thinking skills. 

In April 2026, the Attorney general of Florida launched a criminal investigation into whether OpenAI bears responsibility for advice allegedly provided to a gunman who killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University. Authorities claims that the accused shooter had extensive conversations with ChatGPT before the attack, consisting of discussion regarding mass shooting and weapons. 

The lawsuit also referred another case in which prosecutors said a man charged with killing of two students who were enrolled in doctoral program at University of South Florida asked ChatGPT that what would happen if a human body was placed in garbage bag and thrown into a dumpster shortly before the victims disappeared. 

OpenAI’s response to lawsuit

OpenAI has rejected all the claims, arguing that ChatGPT is not responsible for crimes committed by users and that the company has implemented extensive safeguards. 

“ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes,” an OpenAI statement said. “We work continuously to strengthen our safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse, and respond appropriately when safety risks arise.” 

The company stated that it co-operated with the law enforcement in both criminal cases cited by Florida and maintained that its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals involved to seek real-world support, consisting of mental health professionals. 

The company also said it believes minors require additional protections and pointed to several safety measures already in place. 

“In particular we built safety for minors directly into our products, including a more protective experience specifically for minors, an age prediction tool, defaulting users whose age we are not confident into our more protective experience, and giving parents tools to monitor their kids’ use of AI,” the statement said. “We know pointing to this work will not bring a child back, but we’re committed to getting this right.” 

The case follows similar legal actions against AI companies elsewhere in the US. In May 2026, Pennsylvania sued Character.AI, accusing chatbot of posing as doctors. Earlier this year, Kentucky sued the company, alleging it preyed on Children and led them toward self-harm. 

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