FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Multiple state attorneys general have filed legal action against the artificial intelligence company, citing concerns about chatbot interactions with minors and claims of misleading conduct toward adult consumers.
(DATELINE PENDING — location not specified in source), December 2024 — A coalition of state governments has filed lawsuits against OpenAI, the developer of the widely used ChatGPT chatbot, according to a report by Audacy. The states allege that the artificial intelligence company's flagship product has caused harm to children and has deceived adult users, though the specific legal claims, jurisdictions involved and requested remedies were not detailed in the available reporting.
The lawsuits represent one of the most significant legal challenges yet faced by OpenAI, a company whose ChatGPT product has become one of the most recognized consumer-facing artificial intelligence tools since its public release. According to Audacy's reporting, the states bringing the action argue that the chatbot's interactions with young users have produced harmful outcomes, and that the company's communications with adult users have been misleading in ways that the states consider actionable under law.
OpenAI has not yet issued a detailed public response addressing the specific allegations contained in the state lawsuits, according to available reporting. The company has previously stated, in connection with other matters involving its products, that it continues to work on safety measures intended to protect users, though no such statement specific to these lawsuits was included in the source material reviewed for this report.
The legal action comes amid a broader period of scrutiny facing artificial intelligence companies generally, as chatbots and other generative AI tools have become embedded in daily use by millions of consumers, including minors. Concerns about the psychological and developmental effects of AI chatbot use on children have been raised by various advocacy groups, researchers and public officials in the period since consumer AI tools gained widespread adoption. The lawsuits described in Audacy's report appear to reflect state-level efforts to apply consumer protection and child safety laws to this newer category of technology.
Audacy's report did not specify which states have joined the legal action, the court or courts in which the lawsuits have been filed, or the precise legal theories under which the states are proceeding. It also did not specify whether the lawsuits seek monetary damages, injunctive relief requiring changes to OpenAI's products, or both.
The case adds to a growing body of legal and regulatory attention directed at generative AI companies more broadly, as lawmakers and regulators in multiple jurisdictions have begun examining how existing consumer protection, privacy and child safety frameworks apply to AI chatbot products. OpenAI, based in San Francisco, has grown rapidly since ChatGPT's late 2022 public launch and has expanded its product offerings to include image generation, voice interaction and enterprise-focused tools, while facing parallel questions from policymakers about data use, safety testing and the pace of deployment of new AI capabilities.
This publication will continue to monitor developments in the litigation and will report additional details as they become available from official court filings, statements by the states involved, or responses from OpenAI.
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