A coalition of US state attorneys general has opened a coordinated investigation into OpenAI, issuing an expansive subpoena on June 12 that covers advertising policies, user data handling, consumer health information, and the company’s approach to children and older users. The probe, led by New York’s attorney general, represents the most significant state-level regulatory action against the AI company to date.
What the Subpoena Covers
According to CNBC, the subpoena seeks documents related to deep learning algorithms, company policies, consumer health information, and user retention tactics. The Wall Street Journal first reported the investigation, noting that the states are examining how OpenAI designs, markets, and monitors ChatGPT and its other AI products.
OpenAI responded with a statement: “AI is a new and powerful technology, and we work every day to safely bring its benefits to people in a responsible way. We take the concerns raised by state attorneys general seriously and intend to engage constructively with their offices.”
Escalation From Warning to Enforcement
The investigation follows months of state-level warnings. According to Cryptopolitan, the National Association of Attorneys General sent a letter in December 2025 to Meta, Google, OpenAI, and other AI providers, calling generative AI technology “a threat to the public” and setting a January 16, 2026 deadline for companies to detail their safeguards. The subpoena suggests that OpenAI’s response did not satisfy the coalition.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI earlier this month, alleging the company knowingly released an unsafe product. Uthmeier said at the time he expected other states to follow, according to CNBC. OpenAI also faces lawsuits from families of Tumbler Ridge mass shooting victims who allege the attacker used ChatGPT to plan the attack, plus multiple wrongful death suits.
IPO Timing Creates Dual Pressure
The probe arrives at a particularly sensitive moment. OpenAI confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with the SEC on June 8, with a filing potentially landing as early as September. The company reached an $850 billion valuation earlier this year and ChatGPT now supports more than one billion monthly active users, according to CNBC.
For enterprise customers deploying OpenAI’s API in regulated industries, the investigation introduces a new layer of vendor risk. State-level enforcement actions can compel product changes, restrict data collection practices, and impose disclosure requirements that ripple through downstream integrations. Companies building agent workflows on OpenAI infrastructure now face the possibility that the platform’s data handling and safety practices could be reshaped by consent decrees or settlement terms before the IPO even prices.
Published: June 14, 2026