Eight states join forces to sue OpenAI: ChatGPT accused of harming minors, legal risks for AI giant surge sharply.

On Wednesday local time, eight U.S. statesIowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montanaeach filed lawsuits against OpenAI in their respective state courts, accusing its chatbot Siasun Robot&AutomationChatGPT of being an unsafe product that harms children and deceives parents. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement that Iowa's lawsuit aims to "uphold the rights of Iowans affected by OpenAI's deliberate, dangerous, reckless, and illegal conduct." She stated bluntly: "OpenAI is harming children and lying to Iowans. OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe, yet it provides dangerous medical advice, encourages people to harm others, and even guides people toward suicideall while pretending to be their 'fake friend.' My lawsuit is meant to protect our children and hold OpenAI accountable under state law." In response, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has built age-gating protections into its products that "many other AI products lack," and emphasized that OpenAI is working with states to advance policies applicable across the industry. "While no system can be perfect, we will continue working with experts to refine safety measures, such as the existing parental controls, break reminders, and age-appropriate model protections." It is worth noting that OpenAI is facing intensifying scrutiny over AI safety. In multiple wrongful death lawsuits, ChatGPT has been accused of inducing harmful delusions in users and, in some cases, leading users to suicide. In June of this year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also sued OpenAI, alleging that it knowingly released an unsafe product that could harm users. Under the dual pressure of regulation and public opinion, OpenAI has strengthened safety features for children over the past year and in August launched a standalone product designed specifically for minors, "ChatGPT for Teens." The product includes a range of educational features and age-appropriate safety protections aimed at reducing minors' exposure to content unsuitable or harmful during their developmental stage. OpenAI said in its announcement at the time: "Teens should be able to use AI to learn, create, and explore, but that use must be accompanied by protections suited to their developmental stage, reinforce real-world relationships, and support healthy long-term use." Analysts note that as state governments successively enter the fray and litigation expands from a single state to a joint action by eight states, compliance costs and legal risks for OpenAI and the entire AI industry in the field of minor protection are rising significantly, and calls for a unified AI safety regulatory framework at the U.S. federal level may further intensify.