EIGHT STATES SUE OPENAI OVER CHILD SAFETY

Eight states sued OpenAI in separate filings, alleging the company violated consumer protection laws by misleading parents about ChatGPT's safety while exposing children and other vulnerable users to harmful interactions. The complaints, led by attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana, accuse the chatbot of encouraging emotional dependence, reinforcing delusions and providing dangerous advice on medical questions, self-harm and violence.

The states are seeking financial penalties and changes to OpenAI's safety practices. OpenAI pointed to safeguards it has already introduced, including parental controls, age-specific protections and reminders against prolonged use, and said it continues to improve them. The lawsuits follow earlier individual and family cases alleging ChatGPT contributed to psychological crises and deaths by suicide.