Ken Paxton Takes Aim at OpenAI, Sam Altman in Latest Lawsuit

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) is moving to yet again sue another Big Tech company for wronging Texans. This time, he’s tackling the AI giants.

Paxton is suing OpenAI and its affiliated entities, including CEO Sam Altman, for allegedly imposing negative, deceptive side effects on its users. The attorney general argues that, despite marketing itself as a safe and reliable tool, OpenAI has failed to protect Texans.

“With the rapid advancement of AI technology, OpenAI has the responsibility to protect users and warn them of the many dangers of its platform,” Paxton said.

The lawsuit emphasizes that children are left especially vulnerable by OpenAI’s lack of adequate safeguards and parental oversight for access to its chatbot, ChatGPT.

Paxton is now asking a Texas court to block minors from accessing ChatGPT and require an independent, court-appointed evaluator to review and approve OpenAI’s new AI models before its release.

“Altman made decisions and directed actions that caused, extended and failed to mitigate harms ChatGPT caused, and continues to cause, children and other users,” the lawsuit said, adding that Altman has also “personally benefited” from the company’s alleged exploitation of users and the resulting financial gains.

This comes as concerns over AI regulation and how state and federal government agencies can mitigate the negative effects of rapid AI expansion have continued to escalate in recent months. Altman himself has even publicly warned of the dangers of his tools being misused.

The lawsuit claims that because Altman is financially benefiting from the exploitation and exposure to risk of Texans, he should be held personally accountable for the alleged harms.

“I will fight to protect Texans from the harms of AI and ensure that powerful technology companies are not above the law,” Paxton said.