OpenAI has been named as one of the key companies—along with SoftBank, Tesla, and Oracle—set to lead the Stargate project, an initiative launched by President Trump aimed at transferring AI processing capacity to the United States. This involvement ties OpenAI to politically charged efforts that echo nationalist, authoritarian policies.

In an effort to advance child safety standards, OpenAI has joined a multi-company initiative, ROOST, alongside Google, Discord, and Roblox, to deploy AI-driven solutions aimed at combating child sexual abuse material. This move comes in the context of heightened scrutiny over safety practices on digital platforms.

OpenAI has taken measures to remove accounts in China and North Korea that were exploiting its AI technology for harmful activities such as surveillance, influence campaigns, and financial fraud. The company used its AI-powered detection tools to identify these accounts, demonstrating proactive steps to mitigate misuse of its technology by actors linked to authoritarian tactics.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly warned that AI technologies, particularly facial recognition and digital tracking systems, could enable mass surveillance by authoritarian regimes, posing a significant threat to civil liberties and democratic institutions.

OpenSecrets data shows that during the 2024 cycle, OpenAI made political contributions amounting to $488,166 and spent $1,760,000 on lobbying. This level of political spending indicates significant corporate engagement in the political process, potentially influencing regulatory outcomes in ways that favor corporate interests.

The article reports that OpenAI, along with Google and Microsoft, has embedded hard-coded, US cultural and corporate censorship mechanisms into its AI systems, including NSFW filters, which the report argues violate the transparency and accountability mandates of the EU AI Act.

OpenAI has expanded its lobbying team to consult with governments in the US, UK, Singapore and other countries as they grapple with AI regulation. This move signals an increased corporate effort to influence regulatory outcomes.

In 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman distributed nearly $300,000 in political donations across Democratic candidates, committees, and parties in 39 states, supporting lawmakers focused on ethical and transparent AI regulation.

On November 23, 2023, more than 730 of OpenAI's estimated 770 employees signed an open letter demanding the reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman after his dismissal by the board. Faced with the prospect of a near-mass resignation and investor pressure, the board chose to rehire Altman, a decision that highlighted the power of worker collective action in challenging top-down decision-making.

A report highlighted that OpenAI, among other tech giants, has imposed safeguards on its AI-based systems to mitigate disinformation, censorship, and surveillance, representing a proactive measure to counter authoritarian misuse, even though concerns remain over the potential for these safeguards to be easily breached.

The article alleges that OpenAI, alongside other tech companies, employs a hidden workforce of AI ghost staff who suffer from low wages, lack of benefits, and poor working conditions. US lawmakers have initiated a probe into these practices, raising concerns over labor exploitation in the AI sector.

OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, have been accused of lobbying EU officials to water down provisions in the upcoming AI Act to avoid its general-purpose AI systems being classified as high-risk. Documents obtained through freedom of information requests reveal that OpenAI proposed amendments that were later incorporated into the final version of the law, aligning with similar moves by major industry players.

In November 2021, OpenAI contracted with outsourcing firm Sama to have Kenyan workers label and filter toxic content for ChatGPT. Workers were paid between $1.32 and $2 per hour and were exposed to graphic, traumatic material without adequate mental health support.