Florida’s attorney general has asked a judge to temporarily halt OpenAI’s development of new artificial intelligence models unless independent safety safeguards are put in place.
James Uthmeier filed the 49-page motion on Monday, September 28, in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Highlands County. The application forms part of an 83-page lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, filed by the state on June 1.
Florida seeks restrictions on OpenAI
The proposed injunction would prevent OpenAI from developing new models without external safety approval and would impose a series of restrictions on ChatGPT’s operation in Florida.
Uthmeier is also asking the court to stop the company from encouraging minors to use the chatbot, adapting it to display human-like characteristics and using what he describes as techniques intended to keep users engaged beyond a potentially dangerous point.
The filing further seeks to prevent OpenAI from presenting ChatGPT as safe, accurate or reliable unless the company can substantiate those claims.
In a statement posted on X, Uthmeier accused OpenAI of placing commercial interests ahead of public safety. His office has described the product as “reckless and unacceptably risky”, although the allegations have not been tested in court.
The motion raises wider concerns about OpenAI’s safety practices, including alleged unauthorised access to computer systems and warnings from within the company about the possibility of losing control of advanced AI systems.
OpenAI has said it recognises the need for responsible development and that companies must take responsibility for the safety of their technology. A spokesperson said the company had paused training its most capable models and would resume only when it was confident that additional safeguards were in place.
The company has also said governments should help establish safety standards applying across the industry, and that it is prepared to work with Florida and other states on such measures.
Earlier Florida lawsuit and criminal investigation
Florida’s original lawsuit alleged that OpenAI and Mr Altman prioritised rapid commercial expansion over safety, while concealing risks and failing to protect children and other vulnerable users. It was presented by the attorney general’s office as the first state-led lawsuit against OpenAI.
The legal action followed a criminal investigation opened in April into whether ChatGPT played a role in the Florida State University shooting on April 17, 2025. Prosecutors reviewed chat logs involving Phoenix Ikner, who is accused of carrying out the attack, in which two people were killed and six others injured.
OpenAI has rejected responsibility for the shooting, while the criminal investigation remains ongoing.
The judge must now decide whether to grant the temporary injunction. The wider case against OpenAI and Mr Altman is continuing.
