The United States' competition watchdog has opened an investigation into ChatGPT creator OpenAI amid suspicions the startup broke the law by scraping public data and publishing false and defamatory information. In a 20-page letter, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has requested OpenAI to provide detailed information about its technology and privacy protections, including any efforts to prevent a repeat of incidents in which its groundbreaking chatbot published false and disparaging information about members of the public. The Washington Post first reported on the "expansive" probe on Thursday. The FTC declined to comment when contacted by Al Jazeera. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the leak of the regulator's probe was "disappointing" and would not help build trust.