Texas Attorney General Sues OpenAI and Sam Altman Over ChatGPT Harms to Minors

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman on Friday, October 23, alleging that ChatGPT has deceived and harmed Texans, according to the Texas Tribune as carried by KBTX.

The allegations

The lawsuit was filed in a Collin County district court. Paxton's office alleges OpenAI has not sufficiently regulated ChatGPT and that the product has contributed to a range of harms. His office's press release said, in part, that "minors have become addicted to a tool that fakes human compassion," and also cited users losing critical thinking skills.

The filing opens with a 2015 quote from Altman: "AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there'll be great companies."

Relief sought

• A broad injunction requiring OpenAI to block minors from using ChatGPT
• A requirement that OpenAI obtain approval from a court-appointed evaluator before releasing new models
• Other restrictions, according to the report, and, per other coverage, disgorgement of profits

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the report said.

Context

The case adds to growing legal pressure on OpenAI over child safety. Eight US states recently filed their own suit over ChatGPT and child safety, and the Federal Trade Commission has subpoenaed OpenAI and Anthropic in a consumer protection inquiry.

The complaint's allegations are claims by the state and have not been tested in court. State attorneys general have broad authority to bring consumer protection actions, and such cases can take years to resolve. The extent of the injunction sought, covering both access by minors and pre-release review of models, goes further than many earlier AI-related complaints, which have mostly sought damages or narrower product changes.