Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has placed OpenAI under fresh scrutiny after announcing an investigation into the company and its flagship LLM – ChatGPT. He said the probe will examine AI safety, data handling, and claims related to public harm and that subpoenas are forthcoming. While that investigation leads the latest developments around OpenAI, the company has also paused a UK data center project, and the White House is preparing a federal AI policy framework.
James Uthmeier turns up the heat on OpenAI over ChatGPT allegations
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the probe in a post on X and in a recorded video. He said the investigation seeks answers about OpenAI’s activities and ChatGPT’s role in alleged harms. He also said subpoenas are forthcoming as his office gathers records and responses.
Today, we launched an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT.
AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.
Wrongdoers must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/vRVCqIYKnB— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) April 9, 2026
Uthmeier said the probe will examine claims that OpenAI mishandled data and exposed Americans to risks. He said the company’s data and technology could fall into hostile hands, including the “Chinese Communist Party.” He also accused ChatGPT of links to child abuse, suicide encouragement, self-harm, and the recent FSU mass shooting. He said, “AI should advance mankind, not destroy it,” while calling for accountability from large technology companies.
He urged the Florida legislature to pass laws that protect children and strengthen the attorney general’s powers. His office framed the case as a public safety and national security matter. The investigation arrives as OpenAI prepares for a possible public listing in the second half of 2026 or early 2027. Reports have linked that listing to a valuation target of $1 trillion. Those reports have also placed the potential offering among the year’s largest public listings.
OpenAI’s UK data center project pause adds more pressure
Aside from the AG’s fresh probe, OpenAI has taken a hit across Europe. According to a BBC report, OpenAI has paused Stargate UK, a multi-billion-pound data center project in north-east England. The company cited energy costs and regulation as conditions that must improve before long-term infrastructure investment can proceed. OpenAI had linked Stargate UK to a wider £31 billion package of technology investment in Britain.
The project included a large facility at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside. It also included access to thousands of powerful chips through a partnership with Nvidia and Nscale. An OpenAI spokesperson told the BBC that the company still sees “huge potential” in the UK’s AI future. The spokesperson said London remains OpenAI’s largest international research hub. The company added that it will move forward when regulations and energy costs support durable investment.
When OpenAI announced the project, it said Stargate UK would strengthen sovereign compute capacity. It also said the plan would support native AI development in Britain. Those statements tied the project to the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and broader economic goals. The pause creates pressure for the UK government, which has promoted AI and data centers as growth drivers. Officials have said the country’s AI sector has attracted more than £100 billion in private investment. A government spokesperson said ministers will keep working with OpenAI and other firms to expand UK compute capacity.
Will federal AI rules ease the pressure on OpenAI?
Despite the ongoing issue, the White House is set to draft a federal path for AI oversight. An Axios report said the Trump administration has pushed back on AI bills in Nebraska and Tennessee. Those talks reportedly aimed to persuade state lawmakers to weaken or drop those measures.
The administration released a four-page National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence last month. The document urged Congress to protect children, communities, copyright, and free speech. It also called for policies that support innovation and maintain American AI leadership.
The framework did not call for a new federal rulemaking body for AI firms. Instead, it backed sector-specific oversight through existing agencies and industry-led standards. That approach would place enforcement within existing regulatory systems rather than creating a new national AI regulator.
Recently, OpenAI has opened new deals and partnerships with leading firms. Among the deals is the Department of War’s plan to convene a working group with frontier AI labs, cloud providers, and policy leaders. OpenAI said it expects that forum to support dialogue on emerging AI capabilities, privacy, and national security challenges.