Eight states sue OpenAI over alleged dangers posed by ChatGPT - UPI.com
Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Eight states are separately suing OpenAI, alleging that the U.S. artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT endangers children, deceives parents and violates state consumer protection laws.
The attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia filed their separate lawsuits Wednesday, seeking financial penalties and compensation for consumers and asking the courts to require OpenAI to strengthen safeguards for children and stop its allegedly deceptive practices.
"OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans," Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement.
"OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it's giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide -- all while pretending to be their fake friend."
The lawsuits allege that OpenAI engages in deceptive marketing by claiming its ChatGPT product is safe while knowing it posed significant risks to users.
According to the complaint filed in Iowa, Attorney General Brenna Bird accuses OpenAI of misleading the public into believing that OpenAI is a responsible actor.
Bird alleged that the company designed ChatGPT to be "overly agreeable and feign human compassion" but that the chatbot poses a threat to vulnerable users, including children, alleging that the products has "successfully coached many users to commit suicide or to harm or even kill other people."
"And those problems are just the tip of the iceberg," the lawsuit states.
"There is a growing body of research indicating that ChatGPT is also degrading critical thinking skills, encouraging paranoias and delusions, offering dangerous medical advice and promoting unhealthy behaviors and relationships."
The lawsuit alleges that, in its drive to win the so-called AI race, OpenAi has aided and abetted mass shooters, coached vulnerable citizens to die by suicide, exacerbated symptoms of users who suffer from psychological conditions and fostered addiction among minors by feigning human compassion.
"OpenAI designed a product to attract young users and keep them engaged for as long as possible so it could capture their extensive personal data for the company's commercial benefit," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement.
"OpenAI put Arizonans' safety at risk by failing to implement adequate user protections or transparency measures, despite clear indications that minors were regularly interacting with its chatbot. We're suing OpenAI to protect Arizona children and to hold the company accountable for its repeated violations of Arizona law."