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ARTICLE · 06 MAY 2026

AI Innovation Meets Privacy Regulation: Key Takeaways From The OPC’s Investigation Into OpenAI

Torkin Manes LLP
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Canada's privacy regulators have concluded a joint investigation into OpenAI's ChatGPT, examining how the company collected and used personal information to train its AI models. The investigation raised fundamental questions about consent, transparency, and accountability in AI development, with regulators finding multiple violations of Canadian privacy laws.

CanadaPrivacy
Lisa R. Lifshitz
Lisa R. Lifshitz
Roland Hung
Roland Hung
Laura Crimi
Laura Crimi
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Overview 

In November 2022, ChatGPT, a generative AI chatbot designed to allow users to input prompts and receive an AI-generated response, was first released to the public. While the platform has transformed how individuals and businesses interact with AI, it has also raised significant concerns regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in the development and deployment of AI models.

On April 4, 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (the “OPC”) announced that it had launched an investigation of Open AI OpCo, LLC (“OpenAI”), the company behind the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT. On May 6, 2026, the OPC, together with the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (the “CAI”), the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (the “BC IPC”), and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (the “AB IPC”), (collectively, the “Privacy Commissioners” and individually each a “Privacy Regulator”),

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