Florida sues OpenAI and Sam Altman claiming ChatGPT is unsafe for users

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman that claims the artificial intelligence (AI) giant’s chatbots were unsafe and that the company ignored the potential harms they posed to users.

OpenAI has been among the leaders in the AI space since it launched the groundbreaking chatbot known as ChatGPT in November 2022. The company is moving toward a highly anticipated IPO and has seen its estimated valuation surge to more than $850 billion in the past four years.

Florida’s lawsuit claims that OpenAI’s rise “is attributable to 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 suit says that because of misrepresentations by OpenAI and Altman about ChatGPT have led to a “litany of harms” that was driven by their “insatiable quest to win the AI arms race and amass large fortunates, despite knowing the danger of ChatGPT.”

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Florida accused OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of ignoring safety risks related to AI tools like ChatGPT. (Jason Redmond/Getty Images)

Here’s a look at five of the most explosive claims in Florida’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman.

OpenAI prioritized product and revenue over safety

Florida’s lawsuit notes that OpenAI and Altman said in 2023 they would create a “superalignment team” that would harness 20% of its computing power over four years to achieve scientific and technical breakthroughs to control AI that becomes smarter than humans.

The complaint claims OpenAI only allocated 1% to 2% of its computing power to the problem, with researchers noting it was occurring on older tech and the least powerful chips, and expressed suspicions that better hardware was reserved for profit-generating activities.

Jan Leike, head of the superalignment team, said in an email to the board of directors before the superalignment team was dissolved that “OpenAI has been going off the rails on its mission… We are prioritizing the product and revenue above all else, followed by AI capabilities, research and scaling, with alignment and safety coming third.”

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OpenAI has been at the center of the AI race since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

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