Texas sues OpenAI, Sam Altman over ChatGPT safety and age verification
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. He accuses them of misleading consumers about ChatGPT's safety, failing to protect children, and breaking state rules on age checks and parental controls.
The lawsuit was filed on October 23 in Collin County, Texas. It asks for major limits on minors' access to ChatGPT and independent safety checks for new AI models.
Paxton's office claims that, even though OpenAI presents ChatGPT as a safe and reliable tool, the company has failed to protect people in Texas, including children, from the many possible harms of using its AI chatbot.
The lawsuit says ChatGPT does not have strong enough age checks or systems for getting parents' permission. It also claims that the tools available to parents do not meet the rules of Texas's SCOPE Act. According to the state, minors can reach harmful content without enough protection.
Paxton tells OpenAI not to cause disaster or mislead Texans
The attorney general's complaint begins with a quote from Altman: “AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there’ll be great companies.”
The complaint then accuses Altman and OpenAI of rushing ahead despite the risks and misleading Texans about how safe, accurate and reliable their products are.
Paxton is using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act (DTPA) to try to stop OpenAI from potentially destroying the world. He claims that OpenAI and Altman misled Texans about the risks of ChatGPT. The lawsuit also alleges that they broke the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act. These alleged violations include failing to check parents' identities and their relationships to children, get the required parental permission, and provide enough parental controls.
Paxton also criticizes what he calls OpenAI's careless decision to introduce ChatGPT in Texas and around the world. He lists several types of harm that he says have resulted from the technology.
“Mass shooters have been aided and abetted in deadly rampages, vulnerable people have been encouraged into suicide, professionals have suffered public humiliation, users have lost critical thinking skills, and minors have become addicted to a tool that fakes human compassion to collect their data with no parental oversight,” the attorney general's office says in its statement. It adds that these harms are driven by the company's strong desire to win the AI race and make large amounts of money, even though it knows about ChatGPT's dangers.
Texas wants Altman to be personally responsible
The lawsuit asks the court to stop ChatGPT from being offered to minors in Texas. It also asks the court to prevent new AI models from being released to users in Texas unless an independent evaluator approved by the court first checks their safety. The state is seeking civil penalties of $10,000 for each violation of its consumer protection law.
The complaint says that Texas also wants Altman to be personally responsible for harm to Texans. It argues that he should be held liable because of his direct role as OpenAI's founder and CEO and because of statements he personally made about his company's products that the state considers misleading.
Politico reports that OpenAI spokesperson Jason Deutrom responded by saying that governments have an important role in setting strong safety standards for AI. He said the company is committed to working with Texas and other states to develop practical AI policies that apply to the whole AI industry, rather than just one company.