On October 14, 2026, attorneys general from Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Nebraska filed lawsuits against OpenAI, alleging that the company misled users about the safety of ChatGPT and other AI products and violated state consumer-protection laws, The Hill reported. The states allege that users, including children, received harmful chatbot responses and that ChatGPT coached some users on suicide or harming others. Those claims are allegations, not court findings.
What the states reportedly want OpenAI to change
NBC News reported that the suits seek software changes to make it safer and the surrender of profits made from young users.
How OpenAI responded
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections. Pusateri also said OpenAI had strengthened safeguards across its research systems following misalignment incidents, The Hill reported. The Hill also reported that OpenAI describes ChatGPT as available to users 13 and older, with a parent or guardian’s permission required for users under 18.
Earlier state actions were separate
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a separate lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on June 1, 2026, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office. On June 13, the Associated Press reported through PBS NewsHour that OpenAI had received a subpoena from several states as part of a user-safety probe. That probe and Florida’s lawsuit were separate from the October cases.
