The verification process, known as Verified Organization, is described on OpenAI’s website as “a new way for developers to unlock access to the most advanced models and capabilities on the OpenAI platform.” To complete verification, organizations must provide a government-issued ID from one of the countries supported by OpenAI’s API. Each ID can only be used to verify one organization every 90 days, and OpenAI notes that not all organizations will qualify.
“OpenAI is committed to making AI widely accessible while ensuring its safe use,” the page states. “Unfortunately, a small number of developers deliberately misuse the OpenAI APIs in violation of our policies. This new verification step is being introduced to help prevent unsafe use of AI, while still enabling the broader developer community to access advanced models.”
The new verification process may be designed to strengthen security measures around OpenAI’s products as their capabilities continue to advance. The company has released multiple reports detailing its efforts to detect and prevent malicious use of its models, including activity linked to groups reportedly operating out of North Korea.
Another possible goal is to curb intellectual property theft. A Bloomberg report from earlier this year revealed that OpenAI had launched an investigation into whether a group associated with DeepSeek, a China-based AI lab, extracted large volumes of data via the API in late 2024—potentially to train their own models, which would violate OpenAI’s terms of service.
OpenAI had already restricted access to its services in China as of last summer.