NEW YORK — OpenAI has been subpoenaed by several states as part of an investigation into user safety issues tied to its chatbot, just as the company moves toward a first-time public stock offering.
The company, best known for ChatGPT, said it plans to cooperate with the inquiry and described its response as constructive. OpenAI added that it already has safeguards in place aimed at protecting users.
“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously.”
The scrutiny comes as OpenAI faces mounting criticism over reports that ChatGPT may have responded in troubling ways to users expressing suicidal thoughts or seeking guidance related to criminal activity. The company has also faced questions about its handling of health data and other personal information.
Legal pressure has intensified in recent days. On Thursday, a Canadian woman filed a lawsuit alleging the chatbot played a role in her daughter’s decision to die by suicide. Earlier in June, Florida’s attorney general sued OpenAI following two separate shootings in which the suspected gunmen were said to have asked ChatGPT questions while planning the attacks.
In response, OpenAI said its systems repeatedly urged the individuals involved to seek help in the real world, including support from mental health professionals. The company also said it has cooperated with law enforcement in both shooting investigations.
The new probe comes just a few day after it filed documents with U.S. security regulators for a highly anticipated initial public offering of stock. Artificial intelligence rival SpaceX celebrated its own IPO on Friday. The rocket maker founded by Elon Musk also runs an AI business responsible for a rival chatbot called Grok.
How governments should respond to the potential for good and possible dangerous of AI is becoming a big political issue.
Regulators Europe opened investigations into Musk’s Grok over antisemitic content and sexualized material, include deepfake nudes. And another chatbot company preparing an IPO, Anthropic, was directed by the Trump administration Friday to shut down two of its online models to users abroad for national security reasons.
The OpenAI subpoena was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The Associated Press sent emails to a dozen state attorneys general Saturday asking for details of the probe but has not received any responses.
In its statement, OpenAI highlighted measures it has taken to keep children using its chatbot safe.
“Today’s ChatGPT includes a more protective experience for minors and people experiencing difficult situations, with safeguards that direct them to real-world resources and trusted human contacts,” the statement read in part. “We believe kids should be treated like kids, which is why we built age prediction, released parental tools to guide their children’s use of AI, and disallowed advertising that targets kids.”
