US State Attorneys General Investigate OpenAI Over User Data Management

OpenAI is facing an investigation by a coalition of state attorneys general in the United States regarding its business activities, handling of user data, and the impact of the artificial intelligence (AI) services it develops. The technology company received a subpoena on Friday (12/6) demanding that OpenAI surrender various information and documents related to its operations. In the investigation, the prosecutors are requesting explanations concerning the advertising system, the company’s strategy for attracting and retaining users, as well as the management of users’ personal data and health information. They are also highlighting the use of OpenAI services by children and elderly users, the development of deep learning models, company policies, and the tendency of AI models to provide responses that are overly agreeable or follow the user’s wishes. “We take the concerns raised by the state attorneys general seriously and intend to communicate constructively with their offices,” an OpenAI spokesperson said. It is not yet known exactly what prompted the investigation. However, AI development companies have been under the spotlight of regulators in various US states in recent years. In 2025, as many as 44 state attorneys general sent a letter to Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity AI, and xAI, asking these companies to enhance protections for children from chatbot interactions deemed inappropriate and potentially harmful.