Florida sues OpenAI, Sam Altman, in first-of-its-kind lawsuit over violent incidents

OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, were sued Monday by Florida’s attorney general in a unique lawsuit over ChatGPT’s alleged ties to a number of violent incidents.

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of looking the other way on security concerns because it has tried to prioritize winning “the AI ​​arms race and amassing great fortunes.”

“Today we announced the first state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children in grave danger, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”

“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 disasters, vulnerable people have been encouraged to commit suicide, professionals have been publicly humiliated, users have lost their critical thinking skills, and minors have become addicted to a tool that feigns human compassion to collect their data without parental supervision.” 83-page lawsuit claims.

The Florida attorney general’s office launched a criminal investigation into the company in April. That investigation sought to determine what role ChatGPT may have played in a mass shooting that occurred at Florida State University last year. The shooter is said to have consulted the chatbot prior to the attack. OpenAI has been too sued in a civil suit by the family of one of the victims of that shooting.

OpenAI has previously denied responsibility for the Florida shooting. “Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” an OpenAI spokesperson said. previously told NBC News. TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment.

OpenAI just concluded another lawsuit involving former co-founder Elon Musk, who sued the company in 2024, accusing it of betraying its original mission to help humanity by turning the organization into a for-profit company. The case was closed after the jury quickly decided that Musk had waited too long to file the case and that the statute of limitations had expired.

This is only the latest lawsuit to attempt to link ChatGPT to violent deaths. Last year, OpenAI was sued by the parents of Adam Raine, a California teenager who committed suicide after discussing suicide with the chatbot. In that case, ChatGPT allegedly offered “technical specifications” for various suicide methods, despite also referring him to mental health resources. Other lawsuits – including lawsuits claiming the chatbot is guilty of suicides, stalking and other lawsuits murder – are ongoing.