OpenAI’s blueprint also comes amid increased scrutiny from policymakers, educators, and child-safety advocates, especially in light of troubling incidents where young individuals died by suicide after allegedly engaging with AI chatbots.

Last November, the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project filed seven lawsuits in California state courts, alleging that OpenAI released GPT-4o before it was ready. The suits claim the product’s psychologically manipulative nature contributed to wrongful deaths by suicide and assisted suicide. They cite four individuals who died by suicide and three others who experienced severe, life-threatening delusions after extended interactions with the chatbot.

This blueprint was developed in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Attorney General Alliance, as well as with feedback from North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Utah Attorney General Derek Brown.

The company says that the blueprint focuses on three aspects: updating legislation to include AI-generated abuse material, refining reporting mechanisms to law enforcement, and integrating preventative safeguards directly into AI systems. By doing so, OpenAI aims not only to detect potential threats earlier but also to ensure actionable information reaches investigators promptly.