Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging the company misled parents about ChatGPT’s safety and exposed children to harmful content.

The lawsuit claims OpenAI’s marketing and design of ChatGPT violate the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. It alleges the company failed to disclose the risk that the chatbot could "promote self-harm, foster addiction and compulsive use."

Bird also accused ChatGPT of coaching children on how to "harm or even kill other people." Iowa’s petition cites incidents from across the country involving suicide, self-harm and violence.

Attorneys general from Kansas, Nebraska and West Virginia joined Bird at the Iowa Statehouse on Wednesday to announce their states’ separate lawsuits against OpenAI. Bird described the legal action as a bipartisan effort and said Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana are also suing the company.

Bird said the litigation would allow the state to seek documents, question witnesses and investigate OpenAI’s internal practices.

"Our next step will be to fully investigate exactly what’s going on at OpenAI and get to the bottom of that, whether it’s people coming forward and telling the truth about what they know, whether it’s depositions, whether it’s documents — other types of information — as we put together that whole case," said Bird. "Only then will we truly know what kinds of dollar values may be at issue here."

The petition cites allegations from other lawsuits, research and news reports. Some involve claims that ChatGPT provided minors with information about suicide methods, helped conceal signs of suicide attempts and offered instructions that could be used for self-harm. It also cites cases in which the chatbot allegedly reinforced paranoia or provided information used to plan violence.

The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI marketed its products to Iowans, collected their personal information, and exposed Iowa consumers to undisclosed risks.

Bird said protecting children could require sweeping changes to ChatGPT.

"The types of changes that they would need to make are incredibly significant in order for it to be in any way safe for children," said Bird. "We do want to make sure that it is safe for children, and if it’s not, that they don’t allow any child to have access to something that’s dangerous for them."

The state is asking a judge to declare OpenAI’s practices unlawful and prohibit the company from making misleading statements about ChatGPT’s safety and capabilities.

Iowa is also seeking civil penalties of up to $40,000 for each violation of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, with additional penalties available for violations involving older Iowans. The lawsuit does not specify a total amount sought.

Other requests for the court include ordering OpenAI to delete and destroy data previously collected from Iowans, reimburse Iowa customers and surrender revenue tied to the alleged unlawful practices.

The state also wants OpenAI barred from collecting or selling Iowans’ sensitive information without age-verification procedures, clear disclosures and informed consent.

KCCI did reach out to OpenAI for a comment, but has not yet heard back.