OpenAI faces multistate probe over ChatGPT user safety
State attorneys general are examining possible user harms tied to ChatGPT as OpenAI prepares for a planned public stock offering.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
OpenAI has received a subpoena from several states as attorneys general examine whether ChatGPT poses safety risks to users, the Associated Press reported. The inquiry adds regulatory pressure on one of the most prominent AI companies days after it filed paperwork for a planned initial public offering.
OpenAI told the AP it would respond to the inquiry “constructively” and said it already has protections in place for people who use its products. The company said it takes concerns from state attorneys general seriously.
“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in an emailed statement cited by the AP.
Complaints focus on vulnerable users and personal data
According to the AP, OpenAI has faced criticism over allegations that ChatGPT gave supportive responses to people considering suicide or criminal conduct. The company also has drawn scrutiny over how it handles health information and other personal data from users, the AP reported.
The legal pressure has mounted in recent weeks. The AP reported that OpenAI was sued Thursday by a Canadian woman who blames ChatGPT for her daughter’s decision to hang herself. Earlier in June, Florida’s attorney general sued the company after two separate shootings in which alleged gunmen were reported to have asked ChatGPT questions while planning the attacks, according to the AP.
OpenAI said its models repeatedly urged the people involved to seek outside help, including from mental health professionals, the AP reported. The company also said it cooperated with law enforcement in both shooting cases.
IPO plans put safety questions in sharper focus
The subpoena arrived shortly after OpenAI filed documents with U.S. securities regulators for a closely watched initial public offering, according to the AP. The planned listing would bring new public-market attention to the company behind ChatGPT at a time when lawmakers and regulators are weighing how to police AI systems.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the OpenAI subpoena, according to the AP. The AP said it emailed a dozen state attorneys general on Saturday seeking details about the investigation and had not received responses.
OpenAI pointed in its statement to child-safety measures it says it has added to ChatGPT. The company said the chatbot now includes a more protective experience for minors and for users in difficult situations, with safeguards intended to direct them to outside resources and trusted people.
“We believe kids should be treated like kids,” OpenAI said in the statement cited by the AP, adding that it has built age prediction, released parental tools and barred advertising aimed at children.
AI companies face broader government scrutiny
The OpenAI inquiry comes as governments increase oversight of AI products and the companies building them. The AP reported that European regulators have opened investigations into Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot over antisemitic content and sexualized material, including deepfake nude images.
Other AI companies are facing pressure as they prepare for public markets. Anthropic, another chatbot maker preparing an IPO, was ordered Friday by the Trump administration to shut down two online models for users abroad because of national security concerns, according to the AP.
SpaceX, the rocket company founded by Musk, celebrated its own IPO on Friday, the AP reported. SpaceX also operates an AI business behind Grok, a rival to ChatGPT.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.