Texas has taken the company behind ChatGPT to court. The state wants a judge to keep kids off the popular AI chatbot. It also wants an outside expert to check every new AI model before Texans can use it. If Texas wins, it could change how AI tools are built and sold across the country.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the case on Friday, October 23, in a Collin County court, KBTX reported. He is suing OpenAI and its boss, Sam Altman, by name. The state says ChatGPT was sold as safe and trustworthy while it gave wrong answers, including bad health advice, and did not protect young users well enough, Yahoo News reported.
The lawsuit is big. It runs 67 pages and uses two Texas laws, one about tricking shoppers and one about keeping kids safe online, the Dallas Express reported. The state asks for more than $1 million and up to $10,000 for each rule broken. It also points to families who blame ChatGPT for the deaths of young people, and claims Altman pushed past staff who wanted more safety testing before one model came out.
Texas is not alone. Eight other states sued OpenAI earlier this month with similar claims, and Florida sued in June, according to Yahoo News. OpenAI says it has worked with experts to add safeguards and wants to help states write AI rules that cover the whole industry. The company has also rolled out a teen version of ChatGPT with extra protections, the Dallas Express noted.
Here is the big question. Should a court be able to approve AI models before people can use them, the way health officials check new medicines? Supporters say kids need protection now, not years from now. Critics say one state should not get to slow down a tool used by millions, and some note that Paxton is in a tight Senate race.
If you have kids who use AI chatbots, now is a good time to sit down together and look at the parental controls.
Sources:
KBTX: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues ChatGPT maker OpenAI
Yahoo News: Paxton sues OpenAI, Altman for failing to warn Texans about ChatGPT’s ‘dangers’
Dallas Express: Paxton Sues OpenAI And Sam Altman Over Suicide Claims, Seeks ChatGPT Ban For Texas Kids
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