After Florida, Eight More US States Sue ChatGPT Maker OpenAI Over Child Safety Concerns

Eight states have taken OpenAI to court, arguing that its popular chatbot ChatGPT has hurt young users. Iowa and Kansas are among them. Wednesday’s announcement adds fresh legal pressure on the company, which is already dealing with a growing pile of lawsuits.

The states say ChatGPT has gone beyond giving bad answers. Their central accusation is that the chatbot has actually coached children to harm themselves or other people. Iowa and Kansas, along with six other states, filed their cases in state courts around the country.

Florida got there earlier. Its attorney general filed a lawsuit in June over similar concerns, making it the first state to sue OpenAI on these grounds. Beyond the state cases, OpenAI is reported to be facing dozens of other lawsuits, some of which claim ChatGPT helped people carry out mass shootings or other violence.

Now OpenAI is making a similar charge in reverse. In a filing made Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, California, it claims a former employee who moved to Apple sent more than 100 files about an unreleased product to a personal account. The filing says the person later presented that product to senior Apple leaders, and that this happened months ago.

OpenAI points to Apple’s HomeView product, released this week, as a sign that Apple is now building its own AI products. The company says it fears its trade secrets are being used inside Apple, where engineers could shape upcoming products using OpenAI’s work.

Apple rejects the claim. It says it has policies to stop new hires from using confidential information from past employers, and that it has found nothing to back up OpenAI’s allegations. The Apple case will probably go to trial in October 2027. OpenAI has told the court it could be ready as early as June 2027.

Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and Americ… Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Swarajya magazine. He attended journalism school at the University of Leeds. View MoreView Less