Florida sues OpenAI, Altman for billions over ChatGPT safety risks

Florida sued OpenAI and Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on Monday, accusing the ChatGPT maker of concealing serious safety risks while aggressively marketing its chatbot to children — the first lawsuit brought by a US state against the artificial intelligence company.

"Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a press conference. "They have chosen profit over public safety, and we're not going to stand for it here in Florida." Uthmeier said the company could face "potentially up to billions of dollars" in penalties and that he expects other states to join the effort.

The complaint, filed in Florida's 10th circuit court, accuses OpenAI of deceptive and unfair trade practices, negligence and violating product liability laws. It alleges ChatGPT aided a mass shooter at Florida State University in April 2025, encouraged vulnerable users to commit suicide, and addicted minors "to a tool that feigns human compassion to collect their data with no parental oversight." The lawsuit also seeks to hold Altman personally liable, citing his "utter disregard for the risk to human life caused by his firms' conduct."

The civil action builds on a criminal investigation Uthmeier launched in April into whether OpenAI bears responsibility for the FSU shooting. The accused shooter had extensive conversations with ChatGPT about mass shootings and weapon use, according to Florida authorities. OpenAI has said the chatbot "provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity." More than 20 lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI over alleged ChatGPT-related harms, including by families of victims in a February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, and families of seven people who died by suicide or suffered delusions after using the chatbot.

Legal landscape widens

The Florida lawsuit is the latest in a wave of state-level actions targeting AI companies. Pennsylvania sued Character.AI in May, accusing its chatbots of posing as doctors in violation of medical licensing rules. Kentucky sued the same company in January for "preying on children" and leading "them into self-harm." Character.AI settled multiple lawsuits in January brought by families who claimed its companion chatbots contributed to suicides and mental health crises among teenagers, and subsequently barred users under 18 from interacting with or creating chatbots.

OpenAI said it has "industry leading protections and policies" for minors, including an age prediction tool, defaulting uncertain-age users into a more protective experience, and parental monitoring tools. "We know pointing to this work will not bring a child back, but we're committed to getting this right," spokesperson Kayla Wood said in a statement.

What's at stake

The lawsuit targets the core of OpenAI's business model: rapid user acquisition and data collection through a free, widely accessible product. Florida's complaint alleges the free version of ChatGPT has "no gatekeeping or age verification mechanism" and that even when children's accounts are linked to parents, OpenAI only notifies parents of concerning content in "limited situations." The state is seeking injunctive relief to force changes to ChatGPT's programming, plus civil penalties that could run into billions of dollars under Florida's deceptive trade practices and product liability statutes.

Altman acknowledged public anxiety about AI in a CNBC interview Monday, saying people are "right to be anxious" about the technology. The case adds regulatory pressure to a company already facing scrutiny from federal lawmakers and multiple private lawsuits, with no trial date yet set.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.