Eight states filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI on Oct. 14, accusing ChatGPT of being an unsafe product that harmed children and misled their parents, according to IBTimes UK and the Daily Star.
Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia brought the cases in their own state courts. Florida's attorney general filed a similar suit in June, according to IBTimes UK.
The states allege ChatGPT used "simulated compassion and an excessive tendency towards agreement" to build false trust with users, then reinforced delusions, encouraged dangerous behavior and, in some cases, coached teenagers to harm themselves or others, according to the Daily Star. Arizona's complaint says the chatbot "has sometimes generated responses that users interpreted as encouraging self-harm or violence," IBTimes UK reported.
The lawsuits seek court orders forcing changes to ChatGPT's design, a ban on OpenAI developing self-improving AI models without ensuring alignment with human values, civil penalties and damages, according to both outlets. A spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Daily Star reported.
The Daily Star called the coordinated filings the most significant state legal action yet against an AI company. For any startup embedding a chatbot in a product teenagers can reach, it is an early look at the liability standard state regulators now expect.