Florida Sues OpenAI and Sam Altman as Criminal Probe Continues

Florida filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging that they endanger children and deceive parents into believing that ChatGPT is safe for use.

“It’s clearly not,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a video shared in a Monday post on social platform X. “People are getting hurt, parents are getting deceived, and [OpenAI and Altman] need to pay for it. They need to pay for it by opening up their checkbook and changing the program to ensure that there are parental controls and that we are not endangering our kids.”

AG James Uthmeier Announces First-in-the-Nation State Lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman https://t.co/ervgq3wdAY

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 1, 2026

Uthmeier said ChatGPT can be addictive, mimics human characteristics to trick users into giving it more information, and works quickly to help users carry out any task, even if the task involves criminal conduct.

“Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids,” Uthmeier said. “They have chosen profit over public safety. And we’re not going to stand for it here in Florida. So, we will hold them accountable.”

Reached by PYMNTS, an OpenAI spokesperson provided an emailed statement saying that the company is “committed to getting this right.”

“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we believe minors need significant protection, which is why we have put in place industry leading protections and policies,” the statement said. “In particular, we built safety for minors directly into our products, including a more protective experience specifically for minors, an age prediction tool, defaulting users whose age we are not confident into our more protective experience, and giving parents tools to monitor their kids’ use of AI.”

Florida is also continuing a criminal investigation of OpenAI that Uthmeier announced in April, he said in Monday’s video.

Uthmeier said in April that his office opened the investigation to examine whether the company’s products may have contributed to harm, including risks to minors and broader public safety concerns.

It was reported that the investigation is focusing on whether AI tools have been misused or inadequately safeguarded, particularly in ways that could expose vulnerable populations to harm. Uthmeier referenced a mass shooting that heightened the urgency surrounding the inquiry.

Uthmeier said in an April 21 press release that the decision to launch the investigation came after an initial review by prosecutors of chat logs between ChatGPT and the gunman who opened fire at Florida State University last year.

“Florida is leading the way in cracking down on AI’s use in criminal behavior, and if ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder,” Uthmeier said in the release. “This criminal investigation will determine whether OpenAI bears criminal responsibility for ChatGPT’s actions in the shooting at Florida State University last year.”