State attorneys general probe OpenAI over chatbot safety and data use

State attorneys general have opened a broad probe into OpenAI’s chatbot safety and data practices just as the company moves toward a potential public offering. The coalition, led by the New York Attorney General’s Office, served OpenAI with a subpoena seeking documents on advertising, user engagement and retention, and the handling of consumer and health data.

OpenAI said it received the subpoena on Friday, June 12, 2026, and said it would engage constructively with state attorneys general. The company said it takes the concerns seriously and pointed to safeguards in ChatGPT for minors and people in distress, including features designed to direct users to real-world resources and trusted human contacts.

The investigation lands at a pivotal moment for one of the most closely watched companies in artificial intelligence. OpenAI confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering on June 8, putting investor appetite and regulatory risk on a collision course. The company was valued at $852 billion in its most recent funding round in March, underscoring how much capital is tied to its next phase.

The state scrutiny also signals that AI oversight is moving beyond abstract policy debates and into direct consumer-safety questions. OpenAI has rolled out teen protections, parental controls, age-prediction tools and a Trusted Contact feature. It has also updated its Model Spec with new under-18 principles meant to shape how ChatGPT responds to teenagers with age-appropriate guidance.

Even so, regulators appear to be testing whether those measures are enough. Florida opened its own probe into OpenAI in April and sued the company and chief executive Sam Altman on June 1, making it the first state to sue the company over alleged harms. That case, along with the new multistate inquiry, has widened the legal pressure on OpenAI as it prepares for public markets.

The scrutiny intensified further after a Canadian mother sued OpenAI and Altman in U.S. court on June 11, alleging ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to commit suicide. The combined actions suggest that consumer protection, youth safety and data use are becoming central to the next phase of AI regulation, even as the industry races toward Wall Street.