Florida Sues OpenAI & Sam Altman Over Child Safety Risks

Florida has filed the first state-led civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. The 83-page complaint alleges deceptive marketing and claims ChatGPT is linked to teen suicides and a mass shooting. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the complaint, accusing the company of endangering children by promoting ChatGPT as safe while burying internal warnings about its risks. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and injunctive relief, and specifically names Sam Altman, aiming to hold him personally liable. The state claims OpenAI suppressed internal safety concerns. The complaint links ChatGPT to a 2025 mass shooting that killed two people and connects the chatbot's responses to multiple teen suicides. This lawsuit follows an investigation launched in April 2026 into OpenAI's practices regarding minors. This action is significant because it's the first time a state attorney general has brought a civil action against OpenAI, using consumer protection law rather than product liability. This could set a new precedent for how AI companies are held accountable.