Eight US states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT child safety

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI. They allege OpenAI put profits over safety and violated consumer protection laws by failing to warn users about ChatGPT's dangers. The complaints cite existing suits from families of teens and adults who say the chatbot contributed to harm.

Why it matters: State attorneys general are moving from investigations to litigation, using consumer-protection law rather than waiting for federal AI legislation. It follows the multistate scrutiny of Character.AI's bankruptcy and the labs' own calls to be regulated in the UK, suggesting liability for chatbot harms may be settled through courts and state law first.