Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a wide-ranging civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, making Florida the first state to sue the company over product design and safety. The complaint accuses OpenAI of deceptive trade practices, negligence, and product liability violations, claiming the company prioritized profits over user safety.
A core focus of the state’s legal complaint centers on allegations that perpetrators used OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot to help plan multiple violent crimes. Specifically the lawsuit references the alleged use of the chatbot by the accused perpetrators of a mass shooting at Florida State University, as well as an attack that resulted in the deaths of two graduate students at the University of South Florida. According to the filing, the accused individuals used the AI tool to gather detailed information on weapons, specific ammunition types, and campus locations to maximize potential casualties.
OpenAI has denied liability of the violent acts. A company spokesperson stated that ChatGPT provided purely factual responses to queries using information already broadly accessible across public internet sources, emphasizing that the system did not encourage, promote, or catalyze any illegal activity.
Beyond the references to violent crimes, the state’s civil action alleges that OpenAI’s systems pose severe risks regarding behavioral addiction, cognitive decline, and mental health crises among minors. The lawsuit seeks financial penalties and court orders to hold Altman personally liable for reckless conduct, running parallel to an ongoing criminal investigation launched by Florida authorities.
In response to the safety allegations, OpenAI maintained that its platforms are engineered with industry-leading safeguards. The company stated it has implemented specialized protective experiences, age-prediction tools, and parental monitoring features specifically designed to protect younger users.
