{"slug": "openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a", "title": "OpenAI hit with multistate probe into possible user harm, days after filing for a highly anticipated IPO", "summary": "OpenAI faces a multistate probe into user safety, receiving a subpoena from several state attorneys general over concerns that its ChatGPT chatbot may encourage self-harm and criminal acts. The investigation comes days after the company filed for a highly anticipated IPO, and follows lawsuits linking the chatbot to a teenager's suicide and shootings in Florida.", "body_md": "OpenAI received a subpoena from several states as part of a probe into the safety of users of its chatbot as it prepares to offer stock to the public for the first time.\n\nThe company behind the popular chatbot, ChatGPT, said it will respond to the inquiry “constructively” and that it already has in place measures to protect its customers.\n\n“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.”\n\nOpenAI has drawn criticism for ChatGPT allegedly offering encouraging words to users thinking of killing themselves or engaging criminal acts. It also has come under scrutiny for how its uses health data and other personal information of its customers.\n\nOn Thursday, the company was sued by a Canadian blaming the chatbot for her daughter’s decision to hang herself. Earlier in June, the Florida attorney general [sued the company](https://apnews.com/article/sam-altman-openai-lawsuit-florida-396d70c5a2d9bae7e95a8ee9adaef836) after two separate shootings where alleged gunmen were reported to have asked ChatGPT questions while planning their crimes.\n\nOpenAI said in a statement that its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals to seek real-world support, including from mental health professionals. The company also said it has cooperated with law enforcement in both shooting cases.\n\nThe new probe comes just a few days after [it filed documents](https://apnews.com/article/openai-ipo-chatgpt-c7583994426b1b097120786d6a0b8308) with U.S. security regulators for a highly anticipated initial public offering of stock. Artificial intelligence rival SpaceX [celebrated its own IPO](https://apnews.com/article/musk-spacex-tesla-ipo-trillionaire-billionaire-worth-rockets-7723f82b6063a9a17c194e25982cd66d) on Friday. The rocket maker founded by Elon Musk also runs an AI business responsible for a rival chatbot called Grok.\n\nHow governments should respond to the potential for good and possible dangerous of AI is becoming a big political issue.\n\nRegulators Europe [opened investigations](https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-x-grok-ai-deepfakes-sexual-c1a3039e5aaeb4dd517d995b8b301537) into Musk’s Grok over antisemitic content and sexualized material, include [deepfake nudes](https://apnews.com/article/grok-deepfakes-lawsuit-elon-musk-5fda06fb0694f036c483395f4d0e4fc3). And another chatbot company preparing an IPO, Anthropic, was directed by the Trump administration Friday to [shut down two of its online models](https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-artificial-intelligence-trump-fable-mythos-d9cc7df5c02e93837d0f0bfb24d5cfd2) to users abroad for national security reasons.\n\nThe OpenAI subpoena was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.\n\nThe Associated Press sent emails to a dozen state attorneys general Saturday asking for details of the probe but has not received any responses.\n\nIn its statement, OpenAI highlighted measures it has taken to keep children using its chatbot safe.\n\n“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.”\n\n**Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief**. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it.\n\n[Sign up here.](https://fortune.com/newsletters/fortune-gulf-brief?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=nl_article_tout&itm_campaign=gulf_brief)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a", "canonical_source": "https://fortune.com/2026/06/13/openai-multistate-probe-possible-user-harm-confidential-filing-ipo/", "published_at": "2026-06-13 21:14:09+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-13 21:51:26.469398+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-policy", "large-language-models", "generative-ai", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT", "SpaceX", "Grok", "Anthropic", "Elon Musk", "Florida Attorney General", "The Wall Street Journal"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-days-after-filing-for-a.jsonld"}}