Attorneys general warn OpenAI ‘harm to children will not be tolerated’

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings have raised significant alarms regarding the safety of ChatGPT, particularly its impact on children and teenagers. Their concerns were articulated in an open letter addressed to OpenAI, following a troubling series of incidents involving inappropriate interactions between AI chatbots and minors. This warning coincides with a recent campaign where Bonta, along with 44 other state attorneys general, reached out to leading AI firms to address these serious issues. The urgency of their message was amplified by tragic reports, including the suicide of a young Californian after extensive engagement with an OpenAI chatbot, as well as a shocking murder-suicide case in Connecticut. In their letter, Bonta and Jennings emphasized the inadequacy of existing safety measures, stating, "Whatever safeguards were in place did not work." They are also scrutinizing OpenAI's transition into a for-profit model, aiming to ensure that the original mission of the nonprofit—to deploy AI safely and to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the benefit of humanity, especially children—remains a priority. The letter further stresses the necessity of establishing robust safety protocols before any potential benefits can be realized. Bonta and Jennings highlighted their commitment to public safety, asserting that OpenAI and the broader AI industry must improve their safety practices in both development and deployment. In light of these issues, the attorneys general have requested detailed information regarding OpenAI's safety measures and governance structures, urging the company to implement immediate corrective actions where necessary. TechCrunch has reached out to OpenAI for further insights on the matter.