The state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman. According to Reuters, the plaintiff claims that the company distorted facts about the safety of the ChatGPT platform, harming underage users:
Main Provisions of the Lawsuit
The document filed in state court by Florida's Attorney General, Republican James Utmeyer, states that the platform provided information to school shooters, generated instructions for self-harm, and caused addiction among youth.
Florida has become the first U.S. state to officially initiate legal proceedings against the company. The document mentions a mass shooting that occurred last year (2025) at Florida State University in Tallahassee, as well as other incidents in different states where attackers allegedly used ChatGPT's data:
Personal Liability and Demands
During a press conference, Utmeyer stated that the state has held Sam Altman personally liable, as he played a key role in implementing the most harmful features.
“People are suffering, parents are being misled, and they have to pay for it,” the Attorney General stated:
The plaintiff demands:
Compensation for damages amounting to billions of dollars,
A court order requiring the company to change its principles of interaction with underage users.
Reactions from the Parties
A representative of OpenAI has not yet responded to requests for comments. Earlier, the company stated that their models are trained to reject queries that promote violence and only notify law enforcement when there is an imminent and credible risk of harm to others. To assess borderline cases, the company involves mental health experts.
Legal Background
The wave of lawsuits against companies in the field of artificial intelligence is increasing. OpenAI is also responding to a lawsuit from the family of one of the victims of the Florida university shooting. Additionally, in April 2026, families of victims from one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history also filed joint lawsuits against OpenAI and Altman, claiming that the company was aware of the attacker's plans in advance but did not alert the police.
