Florida Files Landmark Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman Over ChatGPT Safety Concerns

OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, were sued by Florida’s attorney general on Monday in what is being described as the first state-led legal action of its kind concerning ChatGPT’s alleged connection to multiple violent incidents.

The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI failed to adequately address safety concerns while focusing on winning what it describes as the “AI arms race” and generating significant financial gains.

“Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. “OpenAI and Altman ignored both internal and external warnings about safety, placed children at substantial risk, and allowed a dangerous product to be distributed to millions of Floridians.”

According to the 83-page complaint, “Because of Defendants’ misrepresentations about ChatGPT and their careless introduction of ChatGPT to Florida and the world, mass shooters have been aided and abetted in deadly rampages, vulnerable people have been encouraged into suicide, professionals have suffered public humiliation, users have lost critical thinking skills, and minors have become addicted to a tool that feigns human compassion to collect their data with no parental oversight.”

The Florida attorney general’s office opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI in April. The inquiry sought to determine whether ChatGPT played any role in a mass shooting that occurred last year at Florida State University. Authorities allege that the shooter consulted the chatbot before carrying out the attack. OpenAI is also facing a separate civil lawsuit brought by the family of one of the victims killed in that shooting.

OpenAI has previously rejected claims that it bears responsibility for the incident. “Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” an OpenAI spokesperson previously told NBC News.

The company recently wrapped up another major legal battle involving former co-founder Elon Musk. Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in 2024, arguing that the company had abandoned its original mission to benefit humanity by transitioning to a for-profit enterprise. That case ended after a jury quickly determined that Musk had waited too long to pursue the claim and that the statute of limitations had already expired.

The Florida case is the latest in a growing number of lawsuits seeking to connect ChatGPT to violent deaths and harmful incidents. Last year, OpenAI was sued by the parents of Adam Raine, a California teenager who died by suicide after discussing self-harm with the chatbot. In that lawsuit, ChatGPT allegedly provided “technical specifications” related to several suicide methods, despite also directing him to mental health support resources. Additional lawsuits accusing the chatbot of contributing to suicides, stalking incidents, and murder cases remain active and are still working their way through the courts.