OpenAI launches policy agenda covering youth safety, AI literacy and workforce transition

The new site sets out six priorities for AI governance, including school adoption, protections for minors, worker training and a proposed national framework for frontier AI safety.

OpenAI’s Public Policy Agenda sets out positions on frontier AI safety, youth protection, education, workforce transition, content provenance and infrastructure

OpenAI has launched a Public Policy Agenda website setting out the policies it supports across AI safety, education, youth protection, workforce development, digital content and infrastructure.

OpenAI Global Affairs announced the launch on LinkedIn, describing the site as a central collection of the company’s policy principles, priorities and approach to government engagement.

The agenda covers six areas: frontier model safety, security and accountability; youth safety; education and AI literacy; workforce and economic transition; deepfakes and content provenance; and AI infrastructure and energy.

OpenAI’s proposals include policy positions affecting students, teachers, families, workers, schools, universities, community colleges, labor organizations and small businesses. The site combines broad principles with more specific recommendations for the United States and other regions, including youth safety work in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

OpenAI does not provide an implementation timetable for the agenda. The company says it will pursue its priorities through government partnerships, labor union partnerships, lobbying, public advocacy and membership of external organizations.

The site also outlines five principles guiding OpenAI’s policy activity: democratization, empowerment, prosperity, resilience and adaptability.

Education policy puts teachers at the center of AI adoption

OpenAI’s education and AI literacy priority calls for schools and other educational institutions to prepare students for a society in which AI is widely used, while retaining educator control over classroom adoption.

The headline position is direct: “AI should expand educational opportunity while keeping educators central.”

OpenAI supports investment in AI literacy for students, teachers, families and communities, alongside continued teaching in history, civics, mathematics, science, literature, computer science and career and technical education.

The agenda also calls for teacher training and protected time for professional learning. OpenAI says educators should remain responsible for classroom decisions and “set the pace for how AI is adopted in schools.”

Its education proposals extend beyond teacher development. OpenAI says it supports expanded access to AI tools, broadband, devices and educational resources through schools, libraries and community institutions.

The company also calls for further research into AI’s effects on learning outcomes, student wellbeing and educational equity. A growing body of research already examines those areas, but OpenAI says additional evidence should continue to shape how AI products are developed and deployed.

The agenda does not identify funding amounts, named research programs or measurable targets for teacher training, school connectivity or access to AI tools.

Youth safety proposals include age checks and independent audits

OpenAI’s youth safety agenda supports risk-based regulation for AI services used by teenagers, with requirements covering age assurance, parental controls, safety testing and public disclosure.

“Young people should have access to safe, trustworthy AI with strong protections,” the site states.

OpenAI says it supports privacy-preserving age assurance to help AI providers identify minors and apply age-appropriate safeguards. It also calls for regular youth safety risk assessments intended to identify foreseeable harms before they occur.

The proposed protections include parental controls, published youth safety policies and safeguards against harmful content, age-inappropriate material and manipulative or deceptive interactions.

OpenAI says crisis-response systems should provide in-service support, referrals to external resources such as 988 in the United States and parental notifications when appropriate.

The company also supports restrictions on targeted advertising to minors and the sale of young people’s personal information.

OpenAI argues that independent audits should test whether safeguards operate effectively in practice. It calls for common standards that would allow audits to work across jurisdictions, alongside government oversight and enforcement powers.

The agenda also addresses child sexual abuse and exploitation. OpenAI supports updating child protection laws to cover synthetic and digitally altered child sexual abuse material, while retaining enforcement powers for prosecutors and law enforcement.

Its proposed provider safeguards include detection systems, refusal mechanisms, human oversight and continuous monitoring. OpenAI also supports reporting and coordination standards intended to improve CyberTipline reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The company says it supports the Parents and Kids Safe AI Coalition, which advocates for safeguards intended to protect minors while preserving access to AI for learning and development.

Policy agenda arrives amid child safety lawsuits

OpenAI’s youth safety proposals arrive as the company and Chief Executive Sam Altman face several lawsuits over allegations that ChatGPT failed to protect children and other vulnerable users. The claims remain contested and have not been proven in court.

In August 2025, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT discussed methods of self-harm with their son and failed to intervene during months of conversations about suicide. OpenAI has said it disputes that ChatGPT caused his death and has pointed to subsequent changes including parental controls and stronger safeguards for minors. Reuters reported on the Raine lawsuit and OpenAI’s response.

Seven further lawsuits were filed in California in November 2025 alleging that ChatGPT contributed to suicides or serious psychological harm. The cases include wrongful death, negligence and product liability claims, with some involving teenage users. OpenAI has said it is working with mental health experts and updating how ChatGPT responds to signs of distress.

The legal scrutiny widened in June 2026 when Florida became the first U.S. state to sue OpenAI over ChatGPT safety. The state alleges that OpenAI misrepresented the product’s risks and failed to protect children from harmful interactions involving self-harm and criminal activity. OpenAI says it has introduced a more protective experience for minors, age prediction and tools allowing parents to oversee their children’s use.

OpenAI and Altman are also defendants in a lawsuit brought by families affected by the February 2026 school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The plaintiffs allege that OpenAI identified concerning conversations involving the eventual attacker but failed to alert law enforcement. OpenAI has acknowledged banning the account before the attack, while the legal claims remain unresolved.

Workforce plan calls for regional AI hubs and practical training

OpenAI’s workforce and economic transition agenda focuses on access to AI tools, training and regional partnerships involving employers, education providers and labor organizations.

“Everyone should be able to participate in the opportunities AI creates,” OpenAI states.

The company links that position to offering a free version of ChatGPT and supports policies intended to make AI tools more affordable for workers, entrepreneurs, educators and small businesses.

OpenAI calls for investment in workforce training and AI literacy, including regional AI hubs connecting employers, labor organizations, community colleges, universities, workforce boards and local businesses.

The agenda also supports programs that give small businesses access to AI tools, technical support and practical training.

OpenAI says its labor partnerships are intended to help workers develop usable AI skills and prepare for economic changes associated with more capable systems. The company also supports workforce transparency measures tracking how employers and workers use AI.

The longer-term proposals extend beyond training. OpenAI’s agenda refers to portable benefits, tax modernization, public wealth funds and adaptive safety nets as possible components of a broader economic transition strategy.

No funding commitments, participating regions or launch dates are given for the proposed AI hubs and small-business adoption programs.

OpenAI backs state-led path toward national frontier AI rules

Frontier model safety is presented as both a national security and public safety issue.

As part of the launch, OpenAI Global Affairs said Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer at OpenAI, had provided an update on the company’s “reverse federalism” approach. Under that model, states would help establish a common base of AI safeguards while the federal government develops a national standard.

OpenAI positions that process as a possible foundation for a future U.S. framework and, potentially, an international model for frontier AI safety.

The broader policy site also describes how OpenAI engages with governments and political institutions. Its stated methods include helping public bodies adopt AI, working with labor unions, lobbying policymakers and participating in organizations connected to its mission and users.

OpenAI also includes political action committees and 501(c)(4) organizations within its public policy approach, stating that political engagement should operate with transparency and accountability.