Attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia announced the actions, with each state filing separately in its own courts. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird unveiled her case at a press conference alongside her counterparts from Kansas, Nebraska and West Virginia.
The complaints allege OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe while concealing risks to vulnerable users. They say the company designed the chatbot to be excessively agreeable and to imitate human compassion, drawing users into extended interactions that can reinforce dangerous behavior.
"OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it's giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide, all while pretending to be their fake friend," Bird said. "My lawsuit is about protecting our kids and holding OpenAI accountable under our state law."
Arizona's complaint alleges ChatGPT was designed to maximize compulsive use among minors through features that encourage agreement with users and can overwhelm safety protections. Attorney General Kris Mayes said OpenAI kept young people engaged to collect personal information for commercial purposes. "OpenAI put Arizonans' safety at risk by failing to implement adequate user protections or transparency measures, despite clear indications that minors were regularly interacting with its chatbot," she said.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said his complaint describes users obtaining instructions for self-harm and bypassing safeguards that OpenAI said its systems were designed to prevent. The lawsuit alleges the company knew about significant risks but withheld that information, and challenges the collection and retention of children's and teenagers' personal information without adequate notice or consent. Arkansas's claims include negligence, defective design, failure to warn and public nuisance.
Montana's lawsuit invokes state consumer protection and consumer data privacy laws, and Nebraska's case includes alleged violations of its Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act. Idaho and West Virginia also accuse OpenAI of deceiving consumers and endangering children.