US citizen sues ChatGPT for defamation
OpenAI and ChatGPT are being sued for defamation after falsely identifying a US citizen in a criminal case involving a pro-gun foundation, where the AI chatbot generated false information about his involvement. The filling claims that ChatGPT inaccurately named him as the defendant and CFO, accusing him of embezzlement, leading to allegations of negligence and libel against OpenAI.
OpenAI and ChatGPT are facing a defamation lawsuit over the false identification of a US citizen, Mark Walters, in a criminal case involving a pro-gun foundation and embezzlement of funds. According to the filing, Walters claims that ChatGPT generated false information after the local journalist asked for a summary of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) complaint against Washington’s State Attorney General’s office over harassment accusations by giving the chatbot the URL link. Walters claims that ChatGPT responded in its summary and falsely identified him as the Chief Financial Officer of SAF, accusing him of defrauding SAF and identifying him as. In addition to falsely identifying Walters, his lawyers claim that ChatGPT erred in saying that the case was about financial and accounting claims. Walters became aware of the situation only after the local journalist contacted him to fact-check the information. As such, OpenAI is accused of negligence, libel, and recklessly disregarding the falsity of the communication.
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