Texas attorney general sues OpenAI and Altman, accusing them of failing to warn about the dangers of ChatGPT
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
Texas is asking a court to restrict ChatGPT for children and to vet new models; OpenAI replies that rules should be the same for the whole industry.
On October 23, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in Collin County district court. According to the plaintiff, the company violated Texas's Deceptive Trade Practices Act and its child online safety law (the SCOPE Act): it overstated ChatGPT's safety and did not warn of its risks. The suit alleges that, because of inadequate safeguards, "mass shooters have been aided and abetted in deadly rampages, vulnerable people have been encouraged into suicide, users have lost critical thinking skills, and minors have become addicted." The state asks the court to block minors' access, to require approval of new models by an independent evaluator appointed by the court and, according to media reports, to impose $10,000 per violation and strip profits. In response, OpenAI said governments have an important role in setting robust safety standards for SI and that it is ready to work with Texas and other states on "pragmatic policies that apply to the entire industry, not just one company." All claims in the suit are the plaintiff's position; the court has not considered them.
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