OpenAI prohibits using its services for illegal activities, generating harmful content, misleading others, or violating others' rights, and violations can result in account termination.
Violations of the acceptable use policy can result in permanent loss of account access, including for paid subscribers, without a clearly defined appeals process.
The acceptable use framework aligns with emerging EU AI Act prohibited use categories and creates compliance obligations for API operators who deploy OpenAI models to end users; enterprise buyers inherit responsibility for ensuring downstream compliance.
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OpenAI's Terms require users to resolve most disputes through binding arbitration rather than in court, and include a class action waiver that limits collective legal remedies. OpenAI also claims a broad license to use content you submit to improve its models, and can suspend or terminate accounts at its discretion. You can opt out of the mandatory arbitration clause by notifying OpenAI in writing within 30 days of creating your account at https://openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use/.