Florida authorities ask court to block OpenAI’s ChatGPT over safety issues

What the report says

Florida officials have asked a state court to halt further development of OpenAI’s ChatGPT until the company adopts safety guardrails, according to Al Jazeera. The filing comes from Florida’s Republican-led government, with Attorney General James Uthmeier saying the state wants protections for users, children and the broader public before the product continues to advance.

The request was filed in the Florida 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Highlands County. In the court action, the state seeks to block minors from using ChatGPT, prevent the chatbot from being described as humanlike or promoted as safe, accurate or reliable, and stop features that encourage people to keep engaging after receiving answers. Florida also wants a third party to approve safeguards before OpenAI continues development.

Al Jazeera reports that the move builds on an earlier Florida lawsuit this year tied to concerns about ChatGPT’s effect on children and others. That case alleged the chatbot had encouraged suicide and contributed to violent incidents, claims that are part of a wider wave of AI-related litigation in the US. The new filing also cites other recent reports of harm involving AI systems, including alleged security breaches involving rival company Hugging Face and an Australian health-system database. More broadly, the dispute reflects a growing policy debate over whether advanced AI tools should be allowed to expand before regulators or courts require tighter controls.