Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is asking a state judge to temporarily restrict the development of new artificial intelligence models by OpenAI, escalating an ongoing legal dispute over AI safety and the use of ChatGPT by minors.

The motion, filed Sept. 28 in Highlands County Circuit Court, seeks a temporary injunction that would prevent OpenAI from developing new AI models without independent third-party safety guardrails and approval. The request is part of a lawsuit Florida filed against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in June. FOX 13 Tampa Bay

Importantly, these are restrictions Florida is asking the court to impose; the filing itself does not mean the requested injunction has been granted. WJXT

Florida Seeks Broader Restrictions on ChatGPT

The requested injunction goes beyond development of future AI models. Florida is also asking the court to restrict OpenAI from offering ChatGPT to minors and from presenting the service in ways the state alleges could cause users to perceive the chatbot as having human characteristics. The state also seeks restrictions related to claims about ChatGPT’s safety, accuracy and reliability. FOX 13 Tampa Bay

Uthmeier’s office argues that stronger outside oversight is necessary because of potential risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems. The underlying lawsuit includes allegations involving Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as well as negligence, product design, failure-to-warn and other claims. OpenAI disputes that it should be held liable for harms alleged in cases involving use of ChatGPT. Reuters

OpenAI Responds to Florida’s Action

OpenAI says it shares concerns about ensuring increasingly powerful AI systems are developed safely.

The company told news organizations that it had already paused training of its most capable models and would resume only when additional safeguards were in place. OpenAI also said governments have a role in establishing AI safety standards and that it supports policies applying across the AI industry rather than to one company alone. Reuters

A Potentially Important Fight Over AI Regulation

The Florida case could contribute to a broader debate over how states regulate rapidly developing artificial intelligence technology.

AI companies are advancing models capable of increasingly sophisticated tasks, while lawmakers, regulators, researchers and technology companies continue debating what safety requirements should apply before more capable systems are released.

Florida’s requested injunction would introduce outside approval into OpenAI’s model-development process while the litigation proceeds if the court grants the requested relief. Questions also remain about the geographic reach of any state-court order and how state AI regulation interacts with federal authority. Axios

For Florida, the dispute represents another intersection between the state’s regulatory environment and the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry. The immediate next step is for the court to determine whether the temporary injunction sought by the attorney general should be granted while the underlying lawsuit continues. FOX 13 Tampa Bay