Several U.S. child safety organizations have stated they were unaware that OpenAI was the sole financial backer of the Parents & Kids Safe AI Coalition, a group formed to advocate for artificial intelligence legislation in California. The groups reportedly only learned of OpenAI's exclusive funding after the coalition was publicly announced.
The coalition was organized by the political consulting firm Tusk Strategies, which counted OpenAI as a client. The lack of transparency about the funding source has raised concerns among the involved safety groups and ethics watchdogs regarding the tech industry's influence in shaping its own regulation. Some groups are now re-evaluating their participation in the coalition.