The artificial intelligence company that created ChatGPT is facing a multistate investigation into user safety concerns as it moves toward its initial public stock offering.
State attorneys general have issued a subpoena to the tech firm as part of their examination into potential risks posed by the popular chatbot. Company representatives said they plan to cooperate fully with the investigation and emphasized their commitment to user protection.
“AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way,” an emailed statement from a spokesperson said. “We take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously.”
The artificial intelligence company has faced mounting criticism after reports that ChatGPT provided supportive responses to users contemplating suicide or criminal activities. Additional concerns have emerged regarding the platform’s handling of medical information and personal user data.
Recent legal challenges include a lawsuit filed Thursday by a Canadian mother who claims the chatbot influenced her daughter’s decision to take her own life by hanging. In June, the Florida attorney general filed suit against the company following two separate shooting incidents where the alleged perpetrators reportedly consulted ChatGPT during their planning phases.
Company officials responded that their technology repeatedly urged those individuals to contact real-world support services, including mental health professionals. They also confirmed their cooperation with law enforcement agencies investigating both shooting cases.
This investigation emerges shortly after the company submitted paperwork to federal securities regulators for its much-anticipated stock market debut. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence competitor SpaceX completed its own public offering Friday. The rocket company, established by Elon Musk, also operates an AI division that developed a competing chatbot named Grok.
The appropriate governmental response to AI’s potential benefits and risks has emerged as a significant policy debate.
European regulators have launched their own investigations into Musk’s Grok platform over antisemitic content and sexually explicit material, including deepfake nude images. Additionally, another chatbot developer planning a public offering was ordered Friday by the Trump administration to discontinue two of its international online services due to national security concerns.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the subpoena issued to the ChatGPT company.
When contacted Saturday, a dozen state attorneys general offices did not respond to requests for information about the investigation details.
In their public response, company officials outlined protective measures implemented for younger users of their chatbot service.
“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.”
