Florida Sues to Block OpenAI From Developing New Models

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a 49-page motion for a temporary injunction seeking to block OpenAI from developing new AI models without independent third-party safety approval, escalating a lawsuit filed in June 2025. The proposed order would also temporarily bar OpenAI from offering ChatGPT to minors in Florida while the court considers the original suit, which cited a Florida State University student who allegedly used ChatGPT to plan a 2025 mass shooting. OpenAI said it has paused training of its most capable models and will resume only with additional safeguards in place, and noted that nearly 90% of teenagers who use ChatGPT rely on it for learning, productivity, and other educational purposes.

Florida’s attorney general is suing to stop OpenAI from developing new AI models after the technology went rogue and hacked third-party services. “Today, we asked the court for a new temporary injunction. No new model development without independent safety guardrails,” says https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2104565019597848938 AG James Uthmeier. The proposed order would also require OpenAI to secure “approval" from an independent third party before it could develop AI models, according to the 49-page lawsuit https://www.myfloridalegal.com/sites/default/files/plaintiffs motion for temporary injunction.pdf . It's part of a separate lawsuit filed in June https://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrelease/attorney-general-james-uthmeier-files-first-nation-state-led-lawsuit-against-openai-ceo that alleged OpenAI had marketed ChatGPT to the public and to children without warning about the dangers. It cited a Florida State University student named Phoenix Ikner who allegedly used ChatGPT to help plan and carry out a mass shooting in 2025. Uthmeier is escalating the state’s legal battle as OpenAI faces growing controversy over its AI models repeatedly hacking https://au.pcmag.com/ai/118868/openai-oops-our-models-went-rogue-hacked-hugging-face third-party platforms, most notably Hugging Face, without the company’s knowledge. The incidents have sparked fears about AI-led cyberattacks and the technology even destroying humanity. In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said, “We need to pace the frontier.” And while OpenAI has confirmed https://au.pcmag.com/ai/120106/openai-pauses-training-and-evaluation-of-its-most-advanced-models that it has paused training and outputs from its most capable models, Uthmeier is demanding that the court formally intervene, arguing that the company has created a “public nuisance by releasing ChatGPT in Florida without proper safeguards.” “If Sam Altman meant what he said about slowing down https://au.pcmag.com/ai/119891/anthropic-ceo-pushes-to-slow-the-pace-of-ai-development-other-ceos-fall-in-line , he can join our ask to the court,” Uthmeier said. “If he will not, we ask the court to do what OpenAI will not do for itself: Protect Florida families.” The proposed injunction would also temporarily block the company from offering ChatGPT to minors in the state as the court considers its original lawsuit. “No more harvesting children’s data, no more calling the product safe, accurate or reliable, no more pretending it's human, no more tricks designed to keep users talking past the point of danger,” Uthmeier added. But in response, OpenAI indicated it's already taking responsible measures to rein in the company's models. It also noted that nearly 90% of the teenagers who use ChatGPT rely on it for learning, productivity, and other educational purposes. Last month, the company launched ChatGPT for Teens. https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-teens/ "People want to know AI is being developed safely, and that starts with what companies like ours do ourselves. On Friday, we announced we've paused training our most capable models and will resume training only when we are confident that we have additional safeguards in place. Governments have an important role to play in setting robust safety standards for AI, and we’re committed to working with Florida and other states on advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry –not just one company," an OpenAI spokesperson told PCMag. In the meantime, concerns about the company's technology flared up again over the weekend after OpenAI disclosed https://www.pcmag.com/news/openai-models-go-rogue-on-dozens-more-third-party-servicesv additional incidents in which its AI models accessed US government websites without the company’s knowledge during training.