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Pause before acting on or sharing the output. Save the relevant exchange and its context, check important claims against reliable independent sources, and report the response through the service’s official channel. If it affected a consequential decision, contact the organization responsible and use its review or appeal process; reporting the chatbot alone may not change that decision.
1. Stop the immediate harm
If an AI response could affect someone’s physical safety, finances, legal position, job, education, or reputation, do not rely on it or repost it as established fact until it has been checked. If someone may be in immediate danger, prioritize appropriate local emergency services or qualified professional help. There is no single emergency pathway that applies to every situation.
2. Preserve the exchange and its context
Keep the original response and enough information to explain how it arose and what happened next. A useful record may include:
- The prompt or other input and the complete response.
- The service and, if visible, the model label, relevant settings, and date and time, including time zone.
- What action or decision followed, who was involved, and any resulting harm.
This is practical documentation, not a universal legal evidence requirement. Before sharing a record, redact unrelated personal, confidential, or sensitive information.
3. Verify the claims independently
A confident tone does not make an answer reliable. OpenAI warns that ChatGPT may generate fabricated facts, quotations, studies, citations, or references, and recommends checking important information against reliable sources. A citation appearing in an AI answer is not proof that the cited source exists or supports the claim.
Separate the response into claims that can be checked. For material claims, look for the underlying primary source: for example, an official record, regulator or court publication, original study, or advice from a qualified professional. Open and read cited sources rather than relying on the model’s summary. If you cannot verify a claim that matters to a decision, treat it as unconfirmed.
4. Report the response to the service
Use the provider’s current in-product reporting option or official support channel. Interfaces and reporting routes differ by service and can change.
For ChatGPT
OpenAI Help Center guidance describes reporting a message with its thumbs-down control, choosing the issue, and selecting “Safety or Legal concern.” It also describes an online form for content that may violate OpenAI’s terms or applicable law. These directions are specific to ChatGPT and OpenAI platforms; check the current Help Center if the labels or controls have changed.
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5. Check privacy before submitting feedback
A report may expose more than the individual problematic message. OpenAI says that proactively submitting feedback, including a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, may result in the entire associated conversation being used to improve its models, even if the user has opted out of model improvement. Before sending feedback, check the provider’s current data-use guidance and settings, minimize sensitive details, and avoid putting confidential material into an unsuitable reporting channel.
6. Escalate decisions made by an organization
If an AI output influenced a denial, score, recommendation, or other formal outcome, contact the organization that made or administered the decision—not only the AI provider. Ask for the reasons for the outcome and the applicable review or appeal process, and identify any inaccurate information that should be corrected. The organization’s procedures, the relevant domain, and your location affect which rights and deadlines may apply.
U.S. credit decisions
For credit applications in the United States, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 2022 Circular 2022-03 says creditors remain subject to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B notice requirements when they use complex algorithms, including AI or machine learning. Applicants who receive adverse action must be given specific, accurate reasons. This example concerns U.S. credit decisions; it is not a rule for every automated decision or jurisdiction.
Suspected discrimination
Record the relevant facts and seek a suitable local regulator, ombuds office, advocacy organization, or qualified legal adviser. NIST’s work on harmful bias explains that AI can increase the speed and scale of harmful biases and describes its March 2022 publication as a first step toward methods for identifying, understanding, measuring, and managing bias. That work does not by itself establish that a particular output was discriminatory or resolve an individual complaint.
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What this process can—and cannot—do
Reporting can alert a service to problematic content, but it is separate from correcting an institutional decision or obtaining a remedy. Which organization to contact, what review is available, and any relevant deadlines depend on the service, the consequence, the facts, and local rules. This guide is practical information, not legal advice. The FTC’s July 1, 2026 statement on possible consumer deception involving AI systems steered away from user objectives was proposed policy, not a rule making every inaccurate AI answer unlawful.
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