OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is being investigated by a coalition of 42 U.S. state attorneys general over its business practices, user safety measures and handling of consumer data.
According to local media, reviewed by The News Chronicle, the company received a subpoena from the New York Attorney General’s Office requesting documents on several aspects of its operations.
The subpoena seeks information on advertising, user engagement and retention, the handling of consumer and health data, activities involving minors and seniors, deep learning models, model behaviour and internal company policies.
Responding to the investigation, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company is committed to developing artificial intelligence responsibly.
“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way. We take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously and intend to engage constructively with their offices.”
The investigation follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the state of Florida against OpenAI and its Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman. The suit alleges that the company knowingly released an unsafe product and failed to address potential risks.
Florida authorities are also conducting a separate criminal investigation into the alleged role of ChatGPT in communications with a suspect involved in a mass shooting at Florida State University last year.
OpenAI is not the only artificial intelligence company facing regulatory attention. The coalition of attorneys general also sent a letter to Meta, Anthropic, Google and xAI, calling for stronger safeguards to protect vulnerable users from harmful chatbot interactions and warning that developers could be held responsible for AI outputs that encourage criminal acts.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is preparing for a planned initial public offering (IPO), which analysts say could value the company at up to $1 trillion.
For people outside the United States, including Nigeria, the investigation does not currently affect access to ChatGPT or other OpenAI services. It only shows the growing international efforts to examine how AI companies protect users’ privacy, safety and wellbeing.
