OpenAI faces investigation from state attorneys general
It's not clear which states are involved, but they're asking about everything from OpenAI's ad policies to its handling of health data.
A coalition of state attorneys general has reportedly opened an investigation into OpenAI.
The company was served with a subpoena from New Yorkโs attorney general on Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal. That subpoena sought documents related to a broad range of topics including the companyโs advertising, user engagement and retention, model sycophancy, handling of consumer data and health data, and treatment of minors and seniors.
TechCrunch has reached out to OpenAI and the New York attorney generalโs office for confirmation. A company spokesperson told the WSJ that OpenAI is cooperating with the investigation.
โAI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way,โ the spokesperson said in a statement. โWe take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously and intend to engage constructively with their offices.โ
According to Bloomberg, the spokesperson also said that ChatGPT now โincludes a more protective experience for minors and people experiencing difficult situations, with safeguards that direct them to real-world resources and trusted human contacts.โ The company declined to specify which states are involved in the investigation or to share more details about what information was requested.
OpenAI recently defeated its co-founder Elon Musk in a high-profile trial, after Musk accused the company of violating its founding agreement. (Muskโs lead attorney said he will appeal the decision.)
However, OpenAI still faces lawsuits over everything from alleged copyright infringement to ChatGPTโs alleged role in suicide. Earlier this month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, claiming that OpenAI and Altman โignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.โ
Altman recently apologized to the community of Tumbler Ridge, Canada after a mass shooting; he acknowledged that OpenAI failed to alert law enforcement after the company flagged and banned the suspected shooterโs ChatGPT account.
The company announced this week that it has filed confidentially to go public.
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Anthony Ha is TechCrunchโs weekend editor. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm. He lives in New York City.
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