{"id":10167,"date":"2026-04-12T15:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/openai-backing-law-protects-ai-causes-mass-deaths\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:15:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:15:00","slug":"openai-backing-law-protects-ai-causes-mass-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/openai-backing-law-protects-ai-causes-mass-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI Backing Law That Protects It When AI Causes Mass Deaths and Other Mayhem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Thursday, Florida\u2019s attorney general James Uthmeier announced<\/a> his office was investigating OpenAI over a deadly school shooting last year that victims claim was at least partially inspired by conversations with ChatGPT.<\/p>\n

The shooting, which took place at Florida State University almost exactly a year ago, resulted in the death of two students and seven injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI should advance mankind, not destroy it,\u201d Uthmeier said in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re demanding answers on OpenAI\u2019s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the chatbot continues to be embroiled in controversy \u2014 with lawsuits accusing its maker of having the tool play a role in a wave of suicides<\/a> and murder<\/a> amid reports of \u201cAI psychosis<\/a>\u201d \u2014 OpenAI is actively seeking to absolve itself of legal responsibility.<\/p>\n

As Wired<\/em> reports<\/a>, the company is backing a bill in Illinois that would shield companies from liability in cases where AI causes \u201ccritical harms,\u201d including mass deaths, injuries of over 100 people, or over $1 billion in property damage.<\/p>\n

Experts are warning that the bill, dubbed SB 3444, could set a national standard for the industry if it were to pass, letting AI companies off the hook if they\u2019re involved in a future disaster.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see the appeal of such a regulatory approach for OpenAI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support approaches like this because they focus on what matters most: Reducing the risk of serious harm from the most advanced AI systems while still allowing this technology to get into the hands of the people and businesses \u2014 small and big \u2014 of Illinois,\u201d spokesperson Jamie Radice told Wired<\/em> in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey also help avoid a patchwork of state-by-state rules and move toward clearer, more consistent national standards,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Apart from mass death, injury, or property damage, the bill would also shield companies from liability if bad actors were to abuse AI tools to create chemical or even nuclear weapons, a terrifying possibility<\/a> tech leaders have warned about<\/a> for years now. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a particularly relevant topic following Anthropic\u2019s latest and most powerful AI model, dubbed Claude Mythos, which it claims poses \u201cunprecedented cybersecurity risks<\/a>.\u201d The firm also warned that the model had already escaped its sandbox confinement<\/a>, only to access the internet and send an \u201cunexpected email\u201d to a developer while they were \u201ceating a sandwich in a park.\u201d<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s push to support the bill highlights the industry\u2019s unusual stance towards AI regulation. For years now, Silicon Valley giants have said that they welcome AI regulation, while simultaneously pushing for a lenient legal framework that they claim won\u2019t risk the United States falling behind in the ongoing AI race.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt OpenAI, we believe the North Star for frontier regulation should be the safe deployment of the most advanced models in a way that also preserves US leadership in innovation,\u201d OpenAI Global Affairs team member Caitlin Niedermeyer said during her testimony in support of Bill SB 3444, as quoted by Wired<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But whether the piece of proposed legislation will have any chance of passing is dubious at best. As Secure AI policy director Scott Wisor told the publication, polling showed significant support for opposing any laws that would exempt AI companies from liability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no reason existing AI companies should be facing reduced liability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Given the litany of lawsuits OpenAI faces over allegations ChatGPT has caused mayhem including suicide or murder, the subject will likely continue to be hotly debated by lawmakers.<\/p>\n

Yet for now, federal AI legislation is looking as distant as ever, given the Trump administration\u2019s continued siding with the interests of industry players, leaving it up to individual states to protect their citizens from AI threats.<\/p>\n

More on AI and liability:<\/strong> Nonprofit Research Groups Disturbed to Learn That OpenAI Has Secretly Been Funding Their Work<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The post OpenAI Backing Law That Protects It When AI Causes Mass Deaths and Other Mayhem<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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