Altman accused of making ChatGPT unsafe

The lawsuit joins prior suits accusing Altman of callously deploying AI systems without regard for user safety.

In his complaint, Uthmeier recalled how Altman told TED2025 attendees that right now “the stakes are relatively low” for OpenAI to safety-test its products on real users, which he claimed is the only way to iteratively improve them.

“But the stakes aren’t low,” Uthmeier said. “Floridians—including our vulnerable children—have suffered monetary loss, mental health harms, cognitive decline, and physical harm from Defendants’ deceptive, unethical, and recklessly dangerous conduct. Defendants must be held accountable for the harm they have caused and the dangers they and ChatGPT continue to pose to Floridians.”

In a press release, Uthmeier claimed that in rushing products like ChatGPT model 4o to market, OpenAI “ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”

Similarly, the complaint said that Altman must be held “personally liable for the harm he has caused Floridians through his reckless and willful conduct as founder and CEO of OpenAI, including his utter disregard for the risk to human life caused by his firm’s conduct.”

In a loss, OpenAI could face pressure to implement remedies like age-gating free ChatGPT accounts to protect kids, shutting down conversations that discuss violence and suicide, and removing features that the state says deceptively make ChatGPT feel like talking to a human.

Without more parental controls, the state could push for a ban on teens accessing ChatGPT.

“ChatGPT is not safe for teenagers in Florida to use; its use can lead to self-harm, cognitive decline, and behavioral addiction,” the complaint said.

At a press conference live-streamed on X, Uthmeier vowed to work with other states that want to protect kids to hold OpenAI accountable and fielded questions from reporters. When asked if the state planned to pursue all AI companies—not just OpenAI—Uthmeier said Florida is “certainly” looking at other platforms, but “ChatGPT appears to be the most egregious,” with Altman “central” to pushing features that are dangerous to kids.

“Get ready for a fight, and there’s not one more important than this right now,” Uthmeier said.