OpenAI was sued in a proposed class action in federal court in San Francisco by a mother who says ChatGPT collected her 12-year-old daughter’s and 16-year-old son’s private conversations without parental consent, then used them to train its models and profile children. The complaint argues that OpenAI’s age check amounts to typing a name and ticking a box, and that minors can’t legally give up their rights without a parent agreeing. It says the chatbot kept discussing the daughter’s skipped meals and rating photos of her looks after she told it she was 12, and praised her for opening up. Instead of ordinary damages, the plaintiffs want to be paid for the data in OpenAI equity or the cash equivalent. OpenAI didn’t respond to requests for comment.
