A bipartisan group of eight US states have sued OpenAI in courts across America over harms they say ChatGPT ‌has caused to their residents, alleging the chatbot has coached its users – including teenagers – to harm ‌themselves or others.

Attorneys-general from the states, which include Iowa, Kansas and Arizona, filed the lawsuits independently in state courts, claiming ChatGPT is designed to be agreeable and engaging to earn the trust of users.

But the chatbot reinforces delusions, encourages ‌dangerous behaviour ‌and assists ⁠users in planning violence like mass shootings, the lawsuits ​claim.

The cases represent the most significant coordinated state action against an artificial intelligence company, adding to a wave of legal challenges OpenAI faces as it prepares for a public listing. Florida’s attorney general filed the first such state suit in June.

The lawsuits accuse ⁠the company of violating state consumer protection ‌laws ​by misleading users about the safety of ChatGPT. The states also allege that ​the company ‌created a public nuisance by endangering the health of their residents.

The lawsuits seek ​orders forcing OpenAI change how ChatGPT works. Among other things, the states want the technology company barred from developing AI models that ​can ​improve themselves unless it can ​ensure those models are aligned with human values.

The ‌states, which also include Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia, are also seeking civil monetary penalties for OpenAI’s violations of state law as well as damages.

A spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company is ​also facing dozens of lawsuits by private plaintiffs, alleging ChatGPT helped users ​plan mass shootings ⁠or other violence.

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-AAP