Knudsen sues OpenAI over ChatGPT risks to Montana kids
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John Riley NonStop Local ReporterHELENA, Mont. — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said he sued OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT put children and teens at risk and violated Montana consumer protection and data privacy laws.
The Montana Department of Justice said in a press release that the case was filed in Lewis and Clark County. Knudsen said he wants the lawsuit to stop the company’s actions and protect Montanans affected by them.
The lawsuit said OpenAI presented ChatGPT as a safe and trustworthy tool. It also said the chatbot was built to agree with users and respond in a way that felt human, which the state argued could be dangerous for vulnerable people.
Knudsen’s office said Montana law requires a parent or guardian to be notified and give consent before a company can collect personal information or location data from children younger than 13. The lawsuit said ChatGPT did not have a way to get that consent and did not verify a user’s age.
The complaint also pointed to cases involving teens and mental health. It said ChatGPT responded to one depressed teenager in a way that reinforced suicidal thoughts instead of directing him to get help. It also said another teen got advice involving kratom and Xanax without a warning about the danger of mixing them.
Knudsen also raised broader concerns about OpenAI’s technology. His office said the company had acknowledged cases in which advanced models had “gone rogue,” and said he had already opened an investigation tied to a data breach involving one of the company’s experimental models.
In May, Knudsen also sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asking it to review OpenAI’s filings before the company’s expected IPO, citing concerns about Sam Altman’s conflicts of interest.
The Montana Department of Justice said Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and West Virginia had also sued OpenAI in their own state courts.
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NonStop Local Digital Producer
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