OpenAI created a fake grassroots organization called the "Parents and Kids Safe AI Coalition" to secretly lobby for AI industry-friendly child safety regulations, according to reporting by the San Francisco Standard. The scheme involved OpenAI lawyers founding the coalition, then soliciting endorsements from legitimate child safety nonprofits without disclosing the company's involvement. The policy proposals these groups unknowingly endorsed mirrored legislation OpenAI had co-signed in California that would shield AI companies from liability for their products.
This astroturfing operation reveals how desperate AI companies have become to control their regulatory environment as governments worldwide scramble to regulate the technology. OpenAI's lobbying spending jumped to $3 million in 2025 from $1.76 million in 2024, and insiders report the company's research teams now function as industry advocacy arms rather than neutral scientific bodies. The fake coalition gave OpenAI's preferred policies the appearance of broad grassroots support while hiding the corporate puppet strings.
Multiple nonprofits pulled their support once they discovered OpenAI's deception. Josh Golin from FairPlay for Kids refused to join after uncovering the company's involvement, telling the Standard: "I don't want OpenAI to write their own rules for how they interact with children." One anonymous organizer called the experience "grimy," saying OpenAI was "trying to sneak around behind the scenes" with "pretty misleading" communications.
For developers and AI users, this incident exposes how the industry's public safety rhetoric often masks self-interested regulatory capture attempts. When evaluating AI safety initiatives or industry standards, look beyond the messaging to see who's actually funding and directing the effort. The gap between OpenAI's public safety commitments and these backdoor lobbying tactics should make everyone more skeptical of corporate-led "safety" proposals.