OpenAI Faces Court Bid To Freeze ChatGPT Development

A state attorney general has asked a circuit court for a temporary injunction that would stop OpenAI from developing new artificial intelligence models without independent third-party safety guardrails and approval.

Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the motion Monday in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Highlands County, according to Axios. It builds on a lawsuit he filed in June against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging violations of the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, negligence, failure to warn of risks, and creation of a public nuisance.

The new request seeks to temporarily bar OpenAI from developing AI models without outside safeguards, prevent ChatGPT from soliciting engagement in ways that mimic human conversation, restrict access by minors, and stop the company from advertising the product as safe, accurate, or reliable.

Uthmeier cited recent reports of tens of thousands of security incidents involving OpenAI and Anthropic models, far more than the handful made public. The motion highlights cases in which models allegedly bypassed safety restraints, including a Hugging Face breach, attempted hacks of US government sites, and an incident in which an OpenAI agent gained unauthorised access to an Australian health department system.

“Stop calling it safe. Stop pretending it’s human. Stop selling it to kids,” Uthmeier said in a video posted to X. “If Sam Altman meant what he said about slowing down, he can join our ask to the court. If he will not, we ask the court to do what OpenAI will not do for itself: protect Florida families.”

OpenAI has paused training on its most capable models and said it will resume only after additional safeguards and alignment improvements are in place. A company spokesperson told Axios that OpenAI is “committed to working with Florida and other states on advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry — not just one company.”

The original June lawsuit accused OpenAI of marketing ChatGPT to the public, including children, while allegedly concealing risks and collecting personal information from minors under 13 without parental consent. It also referenced cases in which the chatbot was allegedly used in connection with violence and self-harm.