Advocacy groups sue AI giants to freeze new models, warning of ‘catastrophic’ risks

A coalition of online safety and consumer advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against five major artificial intelligence companies to temporarily halt further development, claiming the tech giants can't prevent their creations from causing "catastrophic" harm. The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, comes amid a midterm election that could bring a reckoning for the rapidly evolving AI industry, as Democrats in Congress push for regulation.

The complaint, first reported by The Associated Press, names Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI and SpaceXSI and asks a judge to stop the companies from developing or deploying new AI models. The plaintiffs, including the Irreplaceable Education Fund, Public Citizen, Heat Initiative and the Alliance for Secure AI, point to cyberattacks and other harmful actions by AI systems and the companies' own warnings of potential human extinction.

The AI industry has generated excitement and stock market gains, but deep fears persist about the technology going rogue and escaping human control. Recent incidents of AI agents hacking government websites and companies, including OpenAI's ChatGPT in July, have heightened concerns. While President Trump has encouraged the companies to self-regulate, he has also shown openness to more safeguards.

Congress has not yet regulated the technology, but a Democratic takeover may change that. Some AI company CEOs have voiced support for slowing development to allow safety measures to catch up, acknowledging the risks themselves.