Eight US states sue OpenAI, accusing it of misleading parents about ChatGPT's safety for children

Eight US states sued OpenAI on Wednesday. They accuse the company of deceiving parents about the safety of ChatGPT and harming children. Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana each filed their own lawsuit, but the cases were coordinated. NBC News reports that they target harms the chatbot allegedly caused to children in those states. The Verge, citing earlier reporting by Reuters, says the states also accuse OpenAI of misleading customers about the chatbot's safety. At a news conference announcing the cases, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said OpenAI "wanted to be the first to market" and moved quickly "even though they knew that they were hurting children, lying to parents and breaking our laws." Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said the states "are not going to hold our breath" waiting for federal legislation to rein in AI companies. The suits raise the legal stakes for the company behind the world's largest chatbot, which NBC News says passed 1 billion global monthly active app users this summer. They also show state officials using their own consumer-protection powers instead of waiting for national rules. The excerpts do not include a response from OpenAI.