OpenAI API

Direct API access to OpenAI models. Customer API data controls are distinct from consumer ChatGPT terms and from underlying training-corpus rights.

Score calculation

(4 + 7 + 3 + 4 + 5) ÷ 5 = 4.6

5 of six dimensions rated. Unrated dimensions and BDS status are excluded.

Full scoring method ↗

Setup details

OpenAI is both model developer and API operator; this record covers the API service and corporate relationships where expressly documented.

Energy

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OpenAI does not publish a per-request API energy, water, or emissions figure in the reviewed sources. No vendor-specific inference-route footprint established here. OpenAI says it contracted for data-center capacity and describes expected power, cooling, jobs and plans; project-specific statements, not per-request/API footprint.

Reasoning & sources

The company discloses large project-level data-center capacity and energy needs, but no region/request footprint; the high-load project context raises concern without quantifying API emissions. For a deployment, request or export the selected service and region’s usage-linked footprint when available; do not treat company-wide renewable matching as per-request impact.

The company discloses large project-level data-center capacity and energy needs, but no region/request footprint; the high-load project context raises concern without quantifying API emissions.

Corporate energy procurement, facility mix, model size, utilization, region, and request-level energy remain unquantified.

OpenAI joins PORTS-Pike project ↗

Training rights

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Reasoning & sources

The API data-control documentation says API inputs are not used to train or improve OpenAI models unless the customer opts in. This describes customer-submitted API data; it does not disclose the rights or provenance of the pretraining corpus. Select the model first and review its license plus corpus-provenance disclosures; prompt no-training terms do not clear the model’s original dataset.

Corpus sources, licenses, consent, compensation, and dataset-level exceptions are not established by this API policy.

Data controls in the OpenAI platform ↗

Privacy

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API content is not used for training by default; abuse-monitoring logs may retain content up to 30 days, with feature state and eligible retention controls varying by API feature/account. The cited general privacy policy expressly excludes business API data.

Reasoning & sources

API data is excluded from training by default and retention controls exist, but abuse-monitoring retention can reach 30 days and exceptions vary by feature/account. Check the exact API/web surface, plan, region, retention setting, routing, and stateful features in the applicable terms before sending sensitive content.

API data is excluded from training by default and retention controls exist, but abuse-monitoring retention can reach 30 days and exceptions vary by feature/account.

Actual storage depends on endpoint, feature, account eligibility/settings, legal retention, and configuration.

Data controls in the OpenAI platform ↗

Openness

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OpenAI’s SDK and model cards disclose interface and selected safety information, but the API and model weights remain closed and cannot be self-hosted.

Reasoning & sources

A public SDK improves API access, but the model and serving service remain closed. Check whether the chosen model’s weights and license permit inspection or relocation, and whether the serving runtime moves too; API compatibility alone is not an open stack.

A public SDK improves API access, but the model and serving service remain closed.

SDK code and system-card disclosures do not make the hosted model weights, full training data, or complete training process inspectable.

Worker treatment

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OpenAI’s supplier code sets broad labor standards but does not publish worker outcomes. TIME’s investigation reviewed OpenAI–Sama contracts, payslips, and interviews about 2021–22 Kenyan toxic-content labeling; workers described low take-home pay and distress, while Sama disputed workload/counseling claims and OpenAI said Sama managed pay and support. TIME later reported OpenAI said it was unaware of the conditions and no longer worked with Sama; this is a historical contractor case, not evidence of current API annotation conditions.

Reasoning & sources

The supplier code is a useful standard, but the score also accounts for TIME’s 2021–22 reporting based on contracts, payslips, and worker interviews that described low pay and distress; Sama disputed several details, and OpenAI said it was unaware and no longer used Sama. Treat this as a historical supplier concern rather than proof of present conditions, and require current independent vendor-level outcomes.

A documented past supplier episode includes worker reports of low pay and psychological distress, countered by Sama and OpenAI responses; the current supplier code has no public independent outcome audit.

The sources do not establish whether OpenAI uses other current annotation vendors, present worker outcomes, or the effectiveness of the supplier code across vendors.

Government & military

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OpenAI publicly describes a 2026 classified Department of War agreement with cloud-only deployment, retained safety controls, cleared staff, and contractual limits. It separately says ChatGPT will reach GenAI.mil for unclassified work used by 3 million civilian and military personnel. Both are direct defense deployments; limits are company-reported and not independently audited.

Reasoning & sources

OpenAI reports cloud-only deployment, retained safety controls, cleared staff, and contractual limits; these are meaningful safeguards, but no independent check of enforcement is public. Request the named contract and actual model/endpoint scope with enforceable use controls; do not treat ordinary government work or silence as proof of military use.

OpenAI reports cloud-only deployment, retained safety controls, cleared staff, and contractual limits; these are meaningful safeguards, but no independent check of enforcement is public.

Actual use, oversight effectiveness, and compliance with contract limits are not independently established.

BDS status

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We did not find OpenAI, L.L.C. among the named targets in the two official BNC campaign lists. This is a limited list check, not BDS approval.

Reasoning & sources

OpenAI, L.L.C. is not a named target in the checked lists, but BDS uses selective campaigns, so absence cannot establish a clean record. OpenAI’s April 2026 agreement names Microsoft as its primary cloud partner and a major shareholder, with revenue-share payments to Microsoft through 2030. That is a documented commercial link to a BDS target, not a separate official listing of OpenAI; local use of downloaded weights does not by itself establish a new payment to either company.

This review covers the named targets in the BNC consumer/pressure guide and No Tech campaign, not every BDS campaign, local group, investment or supplier. Lists and ownership can change. A company’s absence from these lists is not an endorsement or proof that it has no relevant relationships.

All sources