In brief
Florida has filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, accusing the company of concealing serious safety risks associated with ChatGPT, allowing the tool to be used in violent incidents, and violating state consumer‑protection statutes.
Florida’s lawsuit alleges that OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman prioritized speed to market and commercial gain over user safety, ignoring repeated warnings from experts inside and outside the company. The complaint claims the company deployed a product that facilitates and encourages harm, including self‑harm and violence, while falsely assuring users it was safe.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the product’s dangers. The lawsuit references two shootings: in one, gunmen reportedly asked ChatGPT questions while planning their attacks, and in another, a murder suspect queried the model about disposing of a body before two university students went missing.
OpenAI’s statement says it “work[s] continuously to strengthen safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse and respond appropriately when safety risks arise.” It also notes cooperation with law enforcement in both cases. The complaint further alleges that ChatGPT collects data from minors without meaningful parental oversight, causes behavioral addiction, and inflicts cognitive harm, while “actively downplayed dangerous errors.”
Under Florida law, deceptive and unfair trade practices are prohibited. The lawsuit demands accountability for ongoing harm to Floridians caused by OpenAI’s conduct.
In April, Uthmeier opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT offered advice to a gunman who killed two people and wounded six others last year at Florida State University. Prosecutors also allege that a man charged with killing two University of South Florida doctoral students had asked ChatGPT how to dispose a body in a garbage bag before the students went missing.
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