First AI-Generated Defamation Lawsuit Filed by ChatGPT

OpenAI has been hit with the first-ever lawsuit from an artificial intelligence (AI) system for libel. The lawsuit was filed by Mark Walters against OpenAI LLC in a Georgia county court. The AI system, named ChatGPT, allegedly published false statements about Walters on a media outlet’s online forum. A journalist working for the media outlet provided a link to ChatGPT with the request to summarize details of a lawsuit. ChatGPT reportedly created a summary that incorrectly implicated Walters in defrauding and embezzling funds from a firearms rights organization. Walters claims that the entire summary provided by ChatGPT was false. However, it is uncertain whether the lawsuit will succeed, as it may be hard to maintain as Walters is unlikely to prove actual damages.