U.S. State Attorneys General Launch Joint Probe Into OpenAI Product Safety and User Impact

OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022. Its terms require users to be at least 13 and those under 18 to obtain parental consent, but Florida alleges that the free version relies solely on self-reported birth dates and lacks effective age verification and parental oversight. As generative AI has rapidly become part of teenagers’ lives, concerns about self-harm, violence and addiction have moved beyond product governance to become the subject of the first U.S. state enforcement case of its kind.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed an 83-page civil lawsuit containing 10 causes of action against five OpenAI entities and CEO Sam Altman in the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court in Highlands County on June 1, 2026. The state is seeking an end to alleged deceptive practices and a ban on collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent. Each willful violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, or FDUTPA, carries a maximum penalty of $10,000. Florida is seeking more than $50,000 in total damages, as well as treble and punitive damages.

A shooting at Florida State University (FSU) on April 17, 2025, killed two people and injured six. Court-released chat records showed that suspect Phoenix Ikner had frequently used ChatGPT before the attack, fueling debate over whether generative AI could contribute to violence, suicide and mental health crises, and what responsibility developers should bear.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on April 21, 2026, that state prosecutors had opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI. Prosecutors allege that ChatGPT answered questions about firearms, ammunition, effectiveness at close range, disengaging a gun's safety and times when the campus was crowded. They have subpoenaed OpenAI for its policies on threats of harm, reporting crimes and internal training. OpenAI denies encouraging illegal conduct.