NINE STATES SUE — IOWA AG BIRD: 'WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT. HE IS WRONG.'

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed suit against OpenAI in Shawnee County District Court on October 14, alleging violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act over claims that ChatGPT is safe for teens. The petition says the chatbot encourages suicide and harming others, degrades critical thinking and offers dangerous medical advice, and that its agreeable, human-like design makes it dangerous to vulnerable users such as children. Kansas was one of eight states filing such suits, alongside Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia.

At a joint press conference in Des Moines, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird quoted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman saying the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of the technology. Bird replied that the attorneys general refuse to accept that and that Altman is wrong, accusing companies of profiting by hurting children. Kobach said the attorneys general could not wait for legislation and urged Congress and state lawmakers to keep investigating.