A growing legal challenge to artificial intelligence is taking shape across the United States, with eight states filing separate lawsuits against OpenAI over allegations that ChatGPT can expose users, including teenagers, to dangerous advice and harmful behaviour.
The bipartisan group of states claims the chatbot’s design prioritises keeping users engaged and agreeable, potentially encouraging unhealthy reliance on the technology. According to the lawsuits, ChatGPT has reinforced delusional beliefs, promoted dangerous actions and, in some cases, allegedly helped users plan acts of violence, including mass shootings.
The complaints were filed independently in state courts by attorneys general representing Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia.
At the centre of the dispute is whether OpenAI misled consumers about ChatGPT’s safety and whether its systems adequately protect vulnerable users. The states accuse the company of violating consumer protection laws and creating a public nuisance by allegedly putting residents’ health and safety at risk.
The legal action seeks more than financial penalties. The states want courts to require changes to the way ChatGPT operates, including restrictions on the development of AI models capable of improving themselves unless OpenAI can ensure those systems remain aligned with human values.
They are also pursuing damages and civil penalties over the alleged violations of state law.
The coordinated lawsuits mark a significant escalation in state-level scrutiny of the AI industry. OpenAI was already facing mounting legal pressure as it prepared for a potential public listing, with Florida having filed an earlier state-level lawsuit in June.
The latest cases add to dozens of lawsuits brought by private individuals who have alleged that ChatGPT contributed to harmful conduct, including plans for mass shootings and other violent acts.
OpenAI had not immediately responded to a request for comment on the latest lawsuits.
The cases could intensify the debate over how AI developers should be held accountable for the behaviour of their products, particularly when young people use conversational systems for advice, emotional support or guidance. For the states bringing the claims, the central question is whether existing safeguards are sufficient to protect users from potentially serious harm.
