The lawsuits, filed separately in state courts on Wednesday, October 14, allege that the chatbot has encouraged dangerous behaviour, reinforced delusions and helped some users plan violence. Eight US states have sued OpenAI, accusing the company of allowing ChatGPT to cause harm to users, including teenagers.
The attorneys general argue that ChatGPT’s design can make it too willing to agree with users and maintain conversations, even when a person may be expressing harmful ideas.
The legal action involves Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia. The states say ChatGPT is designed to be agreeable and engaging, which they claim can lead users to trust the chatbot even when its responses may put them at risk. The states also argue that the company has created a public nuisance by putting residents’ health and safety at risk. The lawsuits seek court orders requiring OpenAI to change how ChatGPT works. The states are also asking for civil penalties and damages over alleged violations of state law. One demand seeks to prevent OpenAI from developing AI models that can improve themselves unless the company can ensure those models are aligned with human values. The cases mark a major coordinated legal challenge by state governments against an artificial intelligence company. However, the allegations have not been established in court, and the cases will determine whether OpenAI violated the laws cited by the states. The lawsuits allege that the chatbot has reinforced delusions, encouraged dangerous actions and helped users plan violent acts, including mass shootings. The claims also raise concerns about how the technology responds to teenagers and other potentially vulnerable users. These are allegations made by the states in their lawsuits. OpenAI had not immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment when the report was published. The latest cases add to a growing number of legal challenges facing OpenAI. The company is also facing dozens of lawsuits from private plaintiffs who allege that ChatGPT helped users plan mass shootings or other acts of violence. The new state cases could put further pressure on OpenAI to explain how it protects users and handles conversations involving dangerous behaviour. The lawsuits seek changes to the company’s technology, but the courts will have to decide whether the allegations amount to violations of state law.
The lawsuits accuse OpenAI of violating state consumer protection laws by misleading users about ChatGPT’s safety, according to Reuters. Florida’s attorney general filed the first lawsuit of this kind by a state in June, according to Reuters.
