Florida has made history as the first state to take legal action against OpenAI, filing a lawsuit Monday that accuses the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, of misleading the public about the safety of its ChatGPT platform.
The suit, filed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, alleges the AI chatbot has harmed children by providing information to school shooters, offering guidance on self-harm, and addicting young users. It cites a 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University, where prosecutors say the alleged shooter used ChatGPT to help plan the attack.
At a press conference, Uthmeier said Altman was personally named because he was central to pushing harmful features. "People are getting hurt, parents are getting deceived, and they need to pay for it," Uthmeier said.
The lawsuit seeks billions of dollars in damages and a court order requiring changes to how OpenAI interacts with minors. OpenAI has not commented publicly but has stated it trains models to refuse requests that could enable violence and notifies law enforcement of credible threats.
This case is part of a rising wave of lawsuits against AI companies over claims of contributing to self-harm, mental illness, and violence.