Florida sues OpenAI, alleges ChatGPT poses public safety risk

WASHINGTON: The US state of Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Monday, alleging that its ChatGPT chatbot poses a threat to public safety and puts users at risk, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

In the lawsuit, filed by Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, the state cited cases in which ChatGPT allegedly recommended a potentially fatal combination of medications and provided guidance to a gunman before a deadly shooting at a university campus.

Uthmeier said the chatbot was particularly problematic for teenagers.

OpenAI said it had introduced measures to protect younger users, including age-detection systems, and parental supervision tools. Some of those safeguards were implemented following public criticism and deadly incidents involving users.

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s flagship product, helped spark the boom in generative artificial intelligence and now has about 900 million weekly users, according to the company.

Florida had already opened an investigation in April into ChatGPT’s alleged role in the April 2025 shooting at Florida State University.

According to Uthmeier, the gunman sought advice from the chatbot before the attack, including on firearms, ammunition compatibility, and where and when the largest numbers of people could be found on campus.

OpenAI has rejected claims that ChatGPT was responsible for the attack, in which two people were killed and six others were injured.

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