OpenAI faces mounting legal backlash after eight Republican-led states filed lawsuits alleging its ChatGPT models encouraged self-harm and other dangerous behavior, including providing “dangerous medical advice,” while accusing the company of misleading consumers about the chatbot’s safety and failing to implement adequate safeguards.
States Allege OpenAI Ignored Safety Warnings
Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia filed separate state-court actions Wednesday. Reuters described the cases as a coordinated bipartisan challenge alleging ChatGPT encouraged dangerous behavior, including self-harm and violence, while violating state consumer-protection laws.
Arkansas alleges OpenAI knew increasingly powerful systems required stronger protections but “held its foot on the gas,” releasing models without “adequate safeguards or testing” while growth and profits took priority over safety. The state is seeking civil penalties, consumer restitution, clearer risk disclosures and restrictions on further advanced-AI development until adequate safeguards exist.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird went further, alleging ChatGPT has provided dangerous medical advice and encouraged harmful behavior. “OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it’s giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide,” Bird said.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for a comment.
ChatGPT Faces Growing Legal Scrutiny
The litigation adds to mounting scrutiny surrounding ChatGPT. Florida sued OpenAI in June over similar safety allegations, while the company has also faced private litigation, including a case alleging ChatGPT gave dangerous medical guidance. A Florida man separately sued OpenAI after alleging ChatGPT discouraged him from seeking emergency care. Florida’s broader action has also accused OpenAI of promoting ChatGPT while downplaying safety risks.
OpenAI Points to Stronger Safety Protections
OpenAI disputes the broader characterization that it has ignored safety. The company launched ChatGPT for Teens in August, automatically placing identified 13- to 17-year-olds into an experience with stronger protections around self-harm, violence, eating disorders and other high-risk material. It also offers parental controls, break reminders and limited safety notifications. The rollout previously added stronger default safeguards and parental tools for teen users.
“While no system can be perfect, we’ll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards,” OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri, in a statement shared with Politico, said, pointing to parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections. He said OpenAI supports “pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry — not just one company.”
The lawsuits arrive amid a wider dispute over OpenAI’s safety culture. Three former OpenAI safety researchers recently alleged they were fired after raising concerns about AI safety, while OpenAI said their departures followed a “significant breach of trust” involving the handling of sensitive information and were not related to raising safety concerns.
The lawsuits coincide with a broader federal crackdown on AI safety, as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday issued civil investigative demands to major AI companies, seeking documents on security incidents, safety safeguards, privacy policies and marketing practices. According to Axios, the agency also plans to compel top AI executives to testify as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of potentially deceptive or unsafe AI systems following a series of security incidents.
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