James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit on Monday against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that the company prioritized profit over safety, contributed to violence, and promoted a product it knew could harm users. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe rise of OpenAI is attributable to a web of deceit and the exploitation of users (including Floridians), leveraging their data and safety to boost OpenAI\u2019s market value at unacceptable costs,\u201d according to the complaint, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing NBC news.<\/a><\/p>\n Florida is the first state to sue OpenAI<\/a> and Altman over design and safety.<\/p>\n The civil action, seeking penalties and a court order rather than criminal charges, said Uthmeier \u201cseeks to hold Altman personally liable for the harm he has caused Floridians through his reckless and willful conduct as founder and CEO of OpenAI, including his utter disregard for the risk to human life caused by his firms\u2019 conduct.\u201d The action is separate from a\u00a0criminal investigation\u00a0into OpenAI that Uthmeier opened in late April, which remains ongoing.<\/p>\n The wide-ranging lawsuit accuses OpenAI of four counts of deceptive and unfair trade practices, two counts of negligence, two counts of violating product liability laws, and one count each of fraudulent misrepresentation and causing a public nuisance. The suit claims that OpenAI\u2019s systems present a \u201cgreat danger of addiction, cognitive decline, suicide, violence, and related harms\u201d to users.<\/p>\n OpenAI did not immediately reply to a request for comment about Monday\u2019s lawsuit.<\/p>\n OpenAI has maintained that it\u00a0designs its systems\u00a0with \u201csafety at every step\u201d and says that it has \u201csafeguards in place to help people, especially teens, when conversations turn sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue improving ChatGPT\u2019s training to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support,\u201d\u00a0the company says.<\/p>\n The complaint also points to the alleged use of ChatGPT in the planning of a\u00a0mass shooting at Florida State University\u00a0and the killing\u00a0of two graduate students at the University of South Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year\u2019s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,\u201d OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri said in a statement to NBC News after the company was sued by the family of a victim of the shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal efforts brought by governments as well as private citizens against OpenAI, many of which contain similar allegations that the company\u2019s core offerings can have serious adverse effects on users.<\/p>\n OpenAI has been\u00a0sued by the representatives of at least seven individuals\u00a0who allege the company\u2019s products caused users to commit suicide or develop harmful delusions.<\/p>\n OpenAI has also been sued by the families of several victims of\u00a0February\u2019s mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The victims\u2019 families argue that OpenAI should have reported the suspect\u2019s worrying ChatGPT use months earlier to law enforcement after the suspect\u2019s gun-related interactions with ChatGPT raised alarms within OpenAI\u2019s safety teams.<\/p>\n Altman apologized to the Tumbler Ridge community\u00a0in late April, vowing to continue \u201cworking with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s suit represents the latest salvo in Florida\u2019s fight against AI companies, as Uthmeier and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u00a0have emerged as leading critics\u00a0of America\u2019s largest AI companies.<\/p>\n