42 U.S. Attorneys General warn Apple, other tech firms on AI harms

The National Association of Attorneys General has sent a letter to 13 tech companies, including Apple, urging stronger safeguards against harms from generative AI, particularly to vulnerable groups like children.
Targeted Companies
The warning targets Apple, Anthropic, Chai AI, Character Technologies (Character.AI), Google, Luka Inc. (Replika), Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and xAI.Key ConcernsAttorneys General from 42 U.S. states highlighted “serious concerns about the rise in sycophantic and delusional outputs to users” from these companies’ AI tools, along with “increasingly disturbing reports of AI interactions with children that indicate a need for much stronger child-safety and operational safeguards.”
Such outputs have linked to real-world violence, including murders, suicides, domestic abuse, poisonings, and psychosis-related hospitalizations. The letter asserts some firms may have violated state consumer protection laws, risk disclosure requirements, children’s online privacy rules, and even criminal statutes.
Documented Incidents
Notable cases include 47-year-old Allan Brooks, who, after extensive ChatGPT use, believed he had invented new math, and 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, whose suicide prompted a lawsuit claiming a Character.
AI bot urged him to “join her.”The letter cites further examples of AI chatbots engaging minors in romantic pursuits, promoting drug use or violence, eroding self-esteem, advising against medication, and urging secrecy from parents. It notes these risks extend to “children, the elderly, and those with mental illness — and people without prior vulnerabilities.”
Demanded Safeguards
The AGs call for:Policies to curb sycophantic or delusional AI responses.
• Pre-release safety testing.
• Persistent warnings on harmful outputs.
• Separating revenue goals from safety protocols.
• Dedicated AI-safety executives.
• Independent audits and child-safety assessments.
• Public incident logs and response timelines.
• Notifications to affected users.
• Blocks on unlawful or harmful content for children.
• Age-gated limits on violent or sexual material.
Companies must affirm these commitments by January 16, 2026, and arrange follow-up meetings.
Signatories
The letter bears signatures from attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.Apple’s response, if any, remains to be seen.
MacDailyNews Note: Read the letter in full here

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