State attorneys general reportedly open investigation into OpenAI

In short: Reports say a coalition of state attorneys general has opened an investigation into OpenAI and is requesting documents about how the company operates.

What happened

A coalition of state attorneys general is reportedly investigating OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. State attorneys general are top legal officials for their states, and they can investigate companies and enforce consumer protection laws.

According to The Wall Street Journal, New York’s attorney general served OpenAI with a subpoena on Friday. A subpoena is a legal order that requires a person or company to hand over documents or information.

The subpoena reportedly asks for documents on a wide range of topics. These include OpenAI’s advertising practices, how it tries to keep users coming back, how it handles consumer data and health data, and how it treats minors and seniors. It also mentions “model sycophancy,” which is when an AI system acts overly agreeable or flattering instead of being straightforward, like a person who always says yes.

TechCrunch reported it is not clear which states are involved. OpenAI told the Journal that it is cooperating with the investigation. Bloomberg also reported that OpenAI said ChatGPT now has a more protective experience for minors and for people in difficult situations, including safeguards that point users to real world resources and trusted human contacts.

Why it matters

For regular people, the investigation centers on everyday concerns, like what data a popular AI service collects, how it might be used, and what protections exist for children, older adults, and people seeking health related help. The outcome could affect how ChatGPT and similar tools are designed and how companies explain their practices to users.

Source: TechCrunch AI