Iowa sues OpenAI over ChatGPT child safety

The Gazette

Source published: 15 Oct 2026, 05:45 · TehranSite published: 15 Oct 2026, 06:12 · Tehran

8 states file lawsuits against company’s AI technology

Hailey Peck
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
Oct 14, 2026
Oct 14, 2026 Updated 13 mins ago

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird speaks at a Sept. 24 meeting in Des Moines. Bird joined seven other states this week in suing ChatGBT, arguing the company’s artificial intelligence technology is harming children.

Erin Murphy/The Gazette

Five state attorneys general, including Iowa’s Brenna Bird, announced this week in Washington that they are suing OpenAI, arguing its artificial intelligence technology is putting children at risk.

The other attorneys general who joined in the announcement were Kris Kobach of Kansas, Mike Hilgers of Nebraska, JB McCuskey of West Virginia and Tim Griffin of Arkansas.

Here are four things to know from the announcement:

What are the states alleging?

Bird said the states are suing Open AI for “hurting Iowa children, deceiving parents and violating Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act.”

“Open AI told Iowans and their users, all across the country, that ChatGPT is safe. It is not. That is why we are here today,” Bird said. “We will not just accept that any Big Tech company can make money by hurting Iowa's kids and use them as lab rats in a race to be the first, or the biggest, or to have the most users. When a big company does that, it’s time for me, as attorney general, to step in, and we hold them accountable.”

Bird said that the lawsuits against OpenAI were filed in eight states: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Montana, Idaho and Arizona. Each state is filing its own lawsuit against the tech company.

What concerns are being raised?

Bird said that the concerns behind the lawsuit involve harmful information that children can access when using the software.

“When ChatGPT, when they poached its users, including a teenager to commit suicide, that was wrong. That crossed the line,” Bird said.

“When ChatGPT coached kids on how to harm or even kill other people, that is wrong, and that crossed the line. When ChatGPT offered dangerous medical advice, like telling a teen in Texas to take Xanax for nausea after taking Kratom, also known as gas station heroin, it crossed the line. …

“And when their rogue AI agents illegally hack into other companies, that crosses the line, too,” Bird said.

The software currently advertises that it is safe to use for those aged 13 and up.

Each attorney general echoed the concerns laid out by Bird.

Why separate lawsuits?

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach speaks during a news conference, March 28, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri ruled on lawsuits brought by state attorneys general on Monday, June 24, blocking much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

John Hanna

Kobach, of Kansas, said it is rare that different states come together to announce a lawsuit. While they often cooperate together on lawsuits, it's uncommon for the filings to be announced together, he said.

“Usually, you don’t see us getting together to announce the lawsuit, unless it’s really, really important. This is one of those lawsuits that’s really, really important,” Kobach said.

Kobach said that each state has its own individual lawsuit, instead of one joint one.

“Each is filing basically the same or very similar complaint in the respective courts,” he said. “So it is not one action where we are all co-plaintiffs. It is an action where each of us is a plaintiff in our respective states.”

Kobach emphasized the importance of not waiting for Congress to act, saying that states cannot afford to wait for the action, and there’s no guarantee any federal regulations would be sufficient.

“The notion that we should wait for Congress to develop a universal solution that covers the entire country, and then apply that solution or apply those standards, is foolish,” Kobach said.

What should consumers do?

Bird said Iowans who feel they have been deceived or experienced harmful repercussions from using OpenAI technology should contact her office or visit iowaattorneygeneral.gov.