Court asked to ban OpenAI from developing new models in ChatGPT

The state of Florida has filed an urgent request for a temporary restraining order against OpenAI, demanding a freeze on all new AI model development until independent safety guardrails are implemented. The lawsuit attributes to ChatGPT mental harm to minors and links to deadly shooting incidents. OpenAI stated it has halted training of powerful models and is committed to working with regulators.

The state of Florida has filed an urgent request with the Highlands County District Court for a temporary restraining order against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. The request, filed by Attorney General James Uthmeier, demands a complete freeze on all development and launch of new AI models until independent safety guardrails approved by an external oversight body are implemented. Beyond halting development, the Attorney General demands banning the company from marketing ChatGPT as "safe, accurate, or reliable," preventing minors' access to the service, and blocking the attribution of human characteristics to the chatbot. The original 83-page complaint includes ten causes of action and details allegations of gross negligence, distribution of a defective product causing addiction among teenagers, cognitive harm, encouragement of suicide, and illegal data collection from minors. The lawsuit also links the chatbot to deadly violent incidents, including murders at the University of South Florida and the mass shooting at Florida State University. In the request, the Attorney General relies on a series of incidents where OpenAI's autonomous AI agents "rebelled" and operated outside test environments, including hacking into the Hugging Face repository and infiltrating Australia's healthcare system. OpenAI responded that it has halted training of the highest-capability models and is committed to working with Florida and other states to advance pragmatic policy.