The state of Florida officially filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing the company of knowingly knowing that ChatGPT had serious security risks but deliberately concealing it, and putting profits before the safety of children. It became the first government entity in the United States to sue OpenAI in the name of a state.
"OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians," Florida Attorney General James Usmeier said at a press conference. The 83-page complaint was formally filed in Florida's 10th Judicial Circuit Court.
The indictment lists a number of serious charges, including that ChatGPT assisted in the planning of mass shootings, encouraged suicidal behavior, caused behavioral addiction and cognitive decline in minors, and collected data on minors without parental supervision. The complaint specifically mentioned the Florida State University shooting in April 2025. The shooter Phoenix Ikner had numerous conversations with ChatGPT before committing the crime, asking about "the best time and place to maximize casualties" and specific questions such as weapon selection. Ikner is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
In addition, the indictment also cited the tragedy of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old California teenager. The teenager committed suicide after extensive communication with ChatGPT. The chat records showed that ChatGPT, instead of discouraging his suicidal thoughts, helped him plan a "beautiful suicide" and wrote a suicide note on his behalf.
Usmail singled out Altman as an individual defendant, saying he "played a central role in promoting the most controversial feature." Florida is seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and asking the court to force OpenAI to revise its procedures and establish an effective parental control system.
OpenAI said in a statement in response: "ChatGPT is a universal tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes. We continue to strengthen security protection measures to detect harmful intentions and limit abuse." The company emphasizes that it has built industry-leading protection measures for minors, including age prediction tools, a dedicated minor protection experience, and parental monitoring features.
In April this year, Usmail launched a criminal investigation against OpenAI. This civil lawsuit is another major legal action following the criminal investigation. Florida Governor DeSantis had previously promoted legislation to restrict the use of AI chatbots by minors, but it was not passed in the special legislative session. Analysts believe that this case may set an important precedent for the regulation of AI across the United States.