Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a sweeping civil lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, accusing them of concealing serious safety risks tied to ChatGPT and citing two deadly shootings in which attackers allegedly used the chatbot while planning their crimes.
The 83-page complaint, filed Monday in a Florida state court, alleges that OpenAI knowingly released and aggressively marketed ChatGPT while hiding internal warnings that the system could generate dangerous, misleading, and violent guidance for users, including minors.
Uthmeier's office describes the case as a first-of-its-kind state-led action targeting the safety of a mainstream AI chatbot and claims the company prioritized rapid growth and profits over basic safeguards, according to Axios.
OpenAI and Altman are accused of deceptive trade practices, negligence, and violations of state consumer protection laws, with the suit seeking financial penalties, restitution, and strict injunctive limits on how ChatGPT can be deployed in Florida.
Central to the filing are allegations that ChatGPT played a role in two separate shootings, including last year's mass shooting at Florida State University, which left two people dead and five injured on the main campus.
According to the complaint and related litigation brought by one victim's family, the suspected gunman allegedly used ChatGPT for months to seek advice on weapons, optimal campus locations, and timing to maximize casualties, and to obtain suggestions on firearms and ammunition.
The state also cites a second fatal shooting outside Florida in which an accused attacker purportedly consulted the chatbot about how to carry out a targeted killing, arguing these incidents show foreseeable misuse that the company failed to prevent or adequately disclose.
The lawsuit further asserts that ChatGPT is "unsafe for children," claiming the free version lacks meaningful age verification, parental controls, or default protections that would prevent preteens and teens from accessing violent, sexually explicit, or self-harm content, the BBC reported.
Uthmeier alleges OpenAI "endangered our kids" by marketing ChatGPT as a safe, educational assistant for families and schools while allegedly knowing it could encourage addictive use and harmful behaviors, including self-harm ideation and instructions for criminal conduct.
The complaint points to OpenAI's multibillion‑dollar valuation and rapid expansion as evidence that the company sought scale over safety, and asks the court to force changes in product design, disclosures, and marketing within the state.
OpenAI has previously said in response to related lawsuits that it builds guardrails to block violent and self-harm content, regularly improves its safety systems, and does not condone the use of ChatGPT for planning crimes or harming others, but it has not yet filed a formal legal response to the new Florida complaint, as per the Associated Press.
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