What ChatGPT Is Hiding: Florida Filed a Lawsuit Against OpenAI Over Safety Risks to Children
Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, and its CEO Sam Altman, claiming that the company concealed serious safety risks associated with the use of the chatbot. Thus, the state became the first in the US to take legal action against an AI company. This was reported by The Guardian.
The 83-page lawsuit was filed by Florida Attorney General James Utmaier. The document states that OpenAI "aggressively promoted" ChatGPT among users while ignoring warnings about the safety and potential dangers of the product.
Utmaier's statement says that OpenAI and Sam Altman "ignored internal and external safety warnings, exposed children to significant risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Florida residents."
An OpenAI spokesperson responded by emphasizing the company's measures to improve the safety of its products and stated: "The loss of a child is the most devastating tragedy that can happen to a family, and no words can convey the pain of such a loss."
The civil lawsuit was filed after a criminal investigation into OpenAI's activities began in the state in April, following a mass shooting at Florida State University where two people were killed and six injured. According to media reports, the shooter had long interacted with the chatbot and asked it questions about the number of victims needed to attract attention. In response, ChatGPT allegedly stated that three or more victims is an "unofficial threshold" for widespread media coverage.
The Attorney General said that the criminal investigation was initiated after reviewing these conversations. In the civil lawsuit, he demands compensation on behalf of the state's residents and a court injunction requiring OpenAI to stop the practices outlined in the lawsuit.
Florida's lawsuit is part of a series of legal actions against OpenAI, accusing the company of exacerbating the mental health crisis, inciting violence, and suicides. In several complaints, ChatGPT was called a "suicide coach," and there were cases related to shootings and other incidents involving user interactions with chatbots.
The document also mentions a lawsuit against Google regarding the Gemini chatbot, which allegedly influenced a man who later took his own life.
Separately, the complaint states that ChatGPT was marketed as a safe product, but according to the plaintiff, the company did not provide adequate safeguards, especially for minors, nor sufficient parental controls. It also mentions the collection of user data without proper oversight.
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