A coalition of state attorneys general has reportedly launched an investigation into OpenAI, because apparently no one was going to just take the company's word that everything is fine.
According to The Wall Street Journal, New York's attorney general served OpenAI with a subpoena on Friday, seeking documents on topics ranging from advertising and user engagement to model sycophancy, consumer data handling, and how the company treats minors and seniors. That's a lot of paperwork for a company that probably thought it was done with legal drama after defeating its co-founder Elon Musk in a trial - though Musk's lawyer has promised an appeal.
TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI and the New York AG's office for confirmation, but OpenAI's spokesperson told the WSJ they're cooperating. "AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way," the spokesperson said, which is exactly what you'd say when investigators come knocking. The company also claimed, per Bloomberg, that ChatGPT now "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." They declined to name which states are involved or share more details about the subpoena.
OpenAI isn't exactly new to legal hot water. It still faces lawsuits over alleged copyright infringement and ChatGPT's alleged role in a suicide. Earlier this month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming they "ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians." And Altman recently apologized to the community of Tumbler Ridge, Canada, after a mass shooting, acknowledging that OpenAI failed to alert law enforcement after flagging the suspected shooter's ChatGPT account.
In unrelated news, the company announced this week that it has filed confidentially to go public. Because nothing says "we're ready for public scrutiny" like a pile of subpoenas.