Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican and political ally of President Donald Trump, is seeking a court order that would bar OpenAI from advancing new AI models without third-party-approved safety protections, escalating a legal battle as Trump pushes back against calls to slow artificial intelligence and dismisses some concerns about the technology as a "hoax." Uthmeier announced Monday that Florida had asked a court for a temporary injunction against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, arguing the company's AI products pose risks to consumers and children and should be subject to new restrictions while the case proceeds. The motion is part of a lawsuit Florida filed against OpenAI and Altman in June. Trump has repeatedly endorsed Uthmeier, most recently giving him his "Complete and Total Endorsement" and saying he "stands for everything MAGA." "Four months ago, Florida filed the first state-led lawsuit in the nation against OpenAI and Sam Altman," Uthmeier said in a video posted on X on Monday.
"We said ChatGPT was unsafe, deceptive, and already harming Floridians, especially our children." He added: "Today, we asked the court for a new temporary injunction. No new model development without independent safety guardrails. No more harvesting children's data.
No more calling this product safe, accurate or reliable. No more pretending it's human. No more tricks designed to keep users talking past the point of danger." The proposed injunction would also cut off minors' access to ChatGPT and require third-party-approved safety protections before OpenAI could advance new AI models.
The request comes as OpenAI argues it has already taken additional steps to address AI safety concerns. In comments provided to Newsweek, the company said it recently launched "ChatGPT for Teens," which it said includes additional safeguards, parental controls and other protections for users under 18. Newsweek reached out to the Uthmeier and the White House for comment on Monday.
The move comes amid a growing debate over AI safety that has split technology leaders, policymakers and regulators. While executives including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have recently expressed support for stronger safeguards around advanced AI systems, Trump has repeatedly argued that fears surrounding AI have been exaggerated and that the United States should avoid regulations that could slow development. During a recent appearance at the All-In Summit, Trump dismissed warnings that AI could eventually pose an existential threat.
"The robots are not going to be taking over the world. The AI will not be taking over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax," Trump said.
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