Florida filed a lawsuit Monday, June 1, 2026, against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman for allegedly concealing serious risks associated with ChatGPT [1, 2].
The legal action represents a significant escalation in government oversight of generative artificial intelligence. By targeting both the corporation and its chief executive, the state is attempting to establish a legal precedent regarding the personal liability of AI leaders for the safety of their products.
Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the 83-page complaint in a Florida circuit court [1, 3]. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI knowingly released and aggressively marketed the chatbot while hiding dangers that could endanger human life [2, 4]. The state is seeking damages and specific restrictions on the company's operations [1, 2].
Florida is the first state to sue OpenAI in this manner [5]. The complaint seeks to have the company designated as a public nuisance, a legal label that could grant the state broader powers to regulate or restrict the software's availability within its borders [2, 4].
The lawsuit focuses on the gap between the company's public marketing and the internal knowledge of the risks posed by the AI [2]. The state argues that the lack of transparency regarding these risks constitutes a failure to protect the public from foreseeable harm [1, 4].
OpenAI and Sam Altman have not yet provided a detailed public response to the specific allegations in the circuit court filing [1, 2].
“Florida is the first state to sue OpenAI”
This lawsuit marks a shift from general regulatory concerns about AI hallucinations or copyright to a direct legal challenge regarding physical safety and corporate liability. By seeking a public-nuisance designation, Florida is attempting to move AI safety out of the realm of voluntary industry standards and into the realm of enforceable state law, potentially encouraging other state attorneys general to pursue similar litigation against AI developers.
