TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company knowingly released ChatGPT to the public — including children — while concealing serious risks, suppressing internal safety warnings and deceiving Floridians about the product’s dangers.
“Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” said Attorney General Uthmeier. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”
The civil complaint, filed in the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, alleges OpenAI and Altman prioritized speed to market and commercial gain over user safety, disregarded repeated warnings from experts both inside and outside the company, and deployed a product that facilitates and encourages harm — including self-harm and violence — while falsely assuring users it was safe. The state seeks damages on behalf of the people of Florida and an end to the practices outlined in the complaint.
The complaint also alleges ChatGPT collects data from minors without meaningful parental oversight, causes behavioral addiction and cognitive harm, and is prone to dangerous errors the company has actively downplayed. Florida law prohibits unfair and defective trade practices, and the state contends OpenAI’s conduct causes ongoing harm to Floridians.
“Parental vigilance must shift from simply monitoring who our children talk to, to ensuring they understand what they are talking to — because a machine programmed to please can never replace the safety of human boundaries,” said FDLE Special Agent in Charge Mike Duffey.
The lawsuit follows a criminal investigation launched last month by the Office of Statewide Prosecution after prosecutors reviewed chat logs between ChatGPT and Phoenix Ikner, the gunman who opened fire at Florida State University on April 17, 2025, claiming two lives and injuring several others. That criminal investigation remains ongoing.
The case is now pending before the Tenth Judicial Circuit, where OpenAI and Altman will be required to respond to the state’s complaint.