Florida lawsuit accuses OpenAI of ignoring safety warnings and putting children at risk | Technology

Florida filed a lawsuit Monday against ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company concealed serious security risks with its chatbot. Florida became the first state in the USA to sue an artificial intelligence company.

The 83-page lawsuit was filed by Florida attorney general James Uthmeier and alleges that OpenAI “aggressively marketed” ChatGPT to the public, ignoring security warnings and potential dangers of the product.

“OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians,” Uthmeier said in a statement.

An OpenAI spokesperson noted: company’s business Stating that he focuses on strengthening the safety of his products, he said, “The loss of a child is the most devastating tragedy that can happen to a family, and we know that no words can come close to describing the pain of such a loss.”

The civil lawsuit comes after the state launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI in April over ChatGPT’s role in the mass shooting at Florida State University that left two people dead and six injured. The attacker had long conversations with the chatbot and asked it questions such as: How many people does he have to kill? to attract national attention, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. ChatGPT is an “informal bar” of three or more people that attracts widespread media attention, the Journal reported.

Uthmeier said he initiated his criminal investigation into OpenAI after: reviewing conversations the accused shooter had ChatGPT. In the civil lawsuit filed Monday, the attorney general said he is seeking damages on behalf of the state’s residents and seeking an order to force OpenAI to end the practices outlined in the lawsuit.

Florida’s legal case is part of lawsuits filed against OpenAI over allegations that the chatbot exacerbates the mental health crisis and incites acts of violence and suicide. in November, seven complaints were made against the company accusing ChatGPT of acting as a “suicide coach”. In April, families of victims of a school shooting in Canada that left five people dead and 27 injured filed seven more lawsuits against OpenAI.

Google was also sued over its Gemini chatbot, which allegedly encouraged a 36-year-old man to stage a “catastrophic accident” and then kill himself.

Florida’s complaint against OpenAI begins with a screenshot from the company’s website, which states that ChatGPT was “built with security in mind.” This is followed by the Florida lawyers’ two-word sentence: “It’s not like that.”

The lawsuit details the rapid success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT since its launch in 2022, catapulting it to an estimated value of nearly $1 trillion. “This achievement was not achieved,” the complaint reads. “The rise of OpenAI can be attributed to a network of deception and exploitation of users.”

The complaint alleges that ChatGPT “aided and abetted” mass shooters in deadly attacks and also encouraged vulnerable people to harm themselves and others. “This cascade of damages stems from defendants’ insatiable quest to win the AI ​​arms race and amass vast fortunes despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit also claims that young people are susceptible to chatbots and are easily hooked to a product that mimics human compassion. Florida accuses the company of failing to integrate adequate security measures for minors, such as allowing parents to connect to their children’s accounts. The lawsuit also alleges that OpenAI collected data about children without adequate oversight.

An OpenAI spokesperson said the company has put in place “leading protections and policies” for minors, including age estimation technology and age-prediction technology. providing tools to parents to monitor young people’s use of artificial intelligence. These tools only work if the child accepts their parent’s request to link accounts, and minors can unlink accounts at any time.

Uthmeier’s legal fight against OpenAI distinguishes him from many of his Republican colleagues and Donald Trump. The president befriended Altman and other AI leaders and issued several executive orders to loosen the regulatory reins on the industry. Last month, Trump stopped short of signing a new executive order requiring upcoming AI models to undergo government vetting before being released.