Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, on Monday, accusing the company of releasing ChatGPT to the public without providing adequate warnings about potential risks. The lawsuit marks the first legal action by a U.S. state against OpenAI and adds to Florida’s broader efforts to challenge major technology companies.
The complaint alleges that OpenAI disregarded repeated warnings from experts about the dangers associated with ChatGPT. According to the filing, the artificial intelligence chatbot has, in some cases, encouraged vulnerable individuals toward self-harm and provided information that allegedly assisted mass shooters.
Florida officials claim that OpenAI acted negligently by failing to implement sufficient safeguards and by marketing ChatGPT without fully disclosing potential risks. The lawsuit further argues that the company violated the state’s laws against unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Among the incidents cited in the complaint is the murder of two graduate students at the University of South Florida. Authorities allege that the suspect used ChatGPT to seek advice on disposing of bodies. The filing also references the Florida State University shooting, where investigators reported that the gunman consulted ChatGPT before carrying out the attack.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed Uthmeier as attorney general after he served as the governor’s chief of staff, has previously sought to impose stricter regulations on artificial intelligence. However, efforts to advance AI-related legislation in Florida failed earlier this year following opposition from President Donald Trump and major technology companies.
“OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
OpenAI had not responded publicly to the allegations at the time of publication.
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