Politics
Arizona alleges ChatGPT marketing hid safety risks in consumer-fraud lawsuit
Attorney General Kris Mayes is asking a Maricopa County court to find that OpenAI violated Arizona’s consumer-protection law. The suit alleges ChatGPT’s design and marketing put young users at risk and seeks fines, repayment of profits and a permanent injunction.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a consumer-fraud lawsuit against OpenAI on Wednesday, Oct. 14, alleging the company misled ChatGPT users about the chatbot’s safety and failed to protect minors who used it.
The complaint, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, accuses OpenAI of violating the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act through deceptive practices, omissions and unfair conduct. The state alleges that ChatGPT harmed young people by weakening critical-thinking skills, encouraging paranoia or delusional thinking, providing dangerous medical guidance without a license, and promoting unhealthy behaviors and relationships. Those claims have not been proven in court.
Mayes said OpenAI designed ChatGPT to draw in young users and keep them engaged, allowing the company to collect extensive personal data for commercial gain. She also alleged that the company did not provide adequate protections or transparency despite indications that minors regularly used the chatbot.
Arizona is asking the court to order OpenAI to stop the alleged unlawful conduct, surrender profits obtained through it, pay civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each willful violation, and cover the state’s legal costs and court fees.
The lawsuit follows a separate case Mayes filed against TikTok the previous week. That suit accused the social media company of designing its platform to keep children hooked while concealing risks from parents.