Florida Sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, Alleges Altman Showed 'Utter Disregard for the Risk to Human Life' [View all]

State is the first to sue the ChatGPT maker for safety issues

https://variety.com/2026/biz/tech/florida-sues-openai-sam-altman-1236764066/

"Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, accusing Altman of leading a company that prioritized profits over protecting its users’ safety.

In the 83-page complaint filed in Florida circuit court, the state claimed OpenAI’s rise was backed by “a web of deceit and the exploitation of users (including Floridians), leveraging their data and safety to boost OpenAI’s market value at unacceptable costs.” The state wants 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’ conduct.”

Florida is the first U.S. state to sue the company over safety concerns. Monday’s lawsuit is separate from a criminal investigation Uthmeier opened into OpenAI in April.

An OpenAI spokesperson acknowledged that AI was a “new and powerful technology” and that minors needed guardrails around its usage, pointing to the company’s minor-specific safety features. “Losing a child is the most devastating tragedy that can happen to a family and we know that no words can come close to addressing the pain of such a loss,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

More at link.