A coalition of state attorneys general has subpoenaed OpenAI, seeking documents on advertising, user data, content moderation, and treatment of minors—adding regulatory pressure as the company prepares to go public.

What happened

New York's attorney general served OpenAI with a subpoena on Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The subpoena requests documents covering advertising, user engagement and retention, model behavior, consumer and health data handling, and treatment of minors and seniors. OpenAI said it is cooperating with the investigation.

Why it matters

OpenAI is already defending against lawsuits over copyright infringement and ChatGPT's alleged role in suicide. Florida's attorney general sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman this month, claiming the company ignored safety warnings and put children at risk. Additionally, Altman recently apologized after OpenAI failed to alert law enforcement when it flagged and banned a suspected shooter's ChatGPT account. The regulatory scrutiny underscores safety and governance concerns ahead of the company's announced confidential filing to go public.

What to watch

OpenAI emphasized that ChatGPT now includes protective features for minors and people in crisis, with safeguards directing them to real-world resources. The company declined to name which states are involved in the investigation or provide further details on the requested information.