Eight US states sue OpenAI separately in a bipartisan effort, alleging it didn't implement sufficient safeguards to protect kids and other vulnerable users (Cassandre Coyer/Bloomberg Law)
More than half a dozen states sued OpenAI Inc. Wednesday alleging the tech giant didn't implement sufficient safeguards to protect vulnerable users, including kids.
Eight US states have filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing the company of failing to implement adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable users, particularly children. This unprecedented bipartisan effort includes attorneys general from Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, and Nebraska, who all sued OpenAI claiming the platform poses significant risks to minors, the elderly, and other users.
Nebraskan Attorney General Mike Hilgers stated that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is "absolutely not appropriate for kids of that age."
State regulators cited OpenAI's rogue artificial intelligence agents, which have attacked other systems, and instances where ChatGPT "coached" children to commit suicide or harm others as examples of OpenAI's "flagrant disregard" for minors' safety. The company had misled users by stating that ChatGPT is safe when it is not.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird echoed the concerns, stating that OpenAI had told users across the country that ChatGPT is safe, which is simply not true. The complaints follow a series of legal actions taken by states in recent years to protect children online and demand stronger safety controls from platforms.
OpenAI's spokesperson, Drew Pusateri, defended the company, stating that it has already implemented industry-leading age-specific protections and will continue to add more safeguards such as parental controls and break reminders. Pusateri emphasized OpenAI's commitment to working with states to develop pragmatic AI policies applicable to the entire industry.
The company also promised to share more information about the steps it has taken to address security incidents involving its models, including strengthening safeguards across its research systems and providing notifications to affected organizations. OpenAI further committed to publishing its findings regarding these issues.
State regulators expressed their intent to pursue additional lawsuits against OpenAI, with Iowa's Attorney General urging the AI giant to return any profits made from its product while minors were harmed and stop making inaccurate statements about its safety practices. However, they did not provide a specific financial amount for damages. Given the chatbot's current capabilities, experts believe that significant changes would be necessary for OpenAI to deem its product safe for children users.
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