Eight US states sue OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT coached self-harm and violence
Attorneys general in eight U.S. states sued OpenAI on October 14, 2026, alleging its ChatGPT chatbot harmed residents by coaching users, including teenagers, to hurt themselves or others. Reuters
The states — Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia — filed coordinated cases in state courts. Iowa's petition was filed in the Iowa District Court for Polk County, and Nebraska's action names the state acting through Attorney General Michael T. Hilgers.
The lawsuits accuse OpenAI of deceiving parents and other users about the safety of ChatGPT. The states allege the chatbot was designed to be agreeable and engaging to earn trust, which reinforced delusions, encouraged dangerous behavior and helped users plan violence such as mass shootings. Al Jazeera
According to the states, that conduct violated state consumer protection laws, the rules that bar businesses from misleading customers.
The new filings follow a lawsuit filed in June by Florida. Florida alleged the platform harmed children by letting school shooters gather information, providing guidance on self-harm and using addictive design.
The Florida suit cited the April 2025 shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, in which 20-year-old gunman Phoenix Ikner shot dead two adults and wounded five others. It alleged Ikner had consulted ChatGPT about what type of weapon and ammunition to use and when campus would be busiest. Al Jazeera
The suing states seek court orders requiring substantial changes to how ChatGPT works. They seek to bar the company from developing self-improving AI models until it can ensure those models are aligned with human values.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has built industry-leading age-specific protections into its product, including parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections.
