OpenAI to Implement ID Verification for Advanced AI Model Access

Access to future AI models in OpenAI's API may require a verified ID | TechCrunch

OpenAI may soon require organizations to complete an ID verification process in order to access certain future AI models, according to a support page published to the company's website last week. The verification process, called Verified Organization, is "a new way for developers to unlock access to the most advanced models and capabilities on the OpenAI platform," reads the page. Verification requires a government-issued ID from one of the countries supported by OpenAI's API. An ID can only verify one organization every 90 days, and not all organizations will be eligible for verification, says OpenAI. "At OpenAI, we take our responsibility seriously to ensure that AI is both broadly accessible and used safely," reads the page. "Unfortunately, a small minority of developers intentionally use the OpenAI APIs in violation of our usage policies. We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community." OpenAI released a new Verified Organization status as a new way for developers to unlock access to the most advanced models and capabilities on the platform, and to be ready for the "next exciting model release" - Verification takes a few minutes and requires a valid... pic.twitter.com/zWZs1Oj8vE -- Tibor Blaho (@btibor91) April 12, 2025 The new verification process could be intended to beef up security around OpenAI's products as they become more sophisticated and capable. The company has published several reports on its efforts to detect and mitigate malicious use of its models, including by groups allegedly based in North Korea. It may also be aimed at preventing IP theft. According to a report from Bloomberg earlier this year, OpenAI was investigating whether a group linked with DeepSeek, the China-based AI lab, exfiltrated large amounts of data through its API in late 2024, possibly for training models -- a violation of OpenAI's terms.

OpenAI Restricts Advanced API Access to Verified Organisations Only | AIM Media House

"We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community." Tibor Blaho, lead engineer at AIPRM, spotted OpenAI's new support page, which revealed a new system, where organisations will require verification to use the most advanced models and capabilities in the API, like GPT-4.1. The company calls it the 'Verified Organisation status'. "At OpenAI, we take our responsibility seriously to ensure that AI is both broadly accessible and used safely. Unfortunately, a small minority of developers intentionally use the OpenAI APIs in violation of our usage policies," the company stated. "We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community." The verification process requires a valid government-issued ID from one of the over 200 countries supported on the list. Each ID can only verify one organisation every 90 days. According to the support page, verifying an organisation will take a few minutes and does not require any spending. "Advancing through usage tiers will still unlock higher rate limits across models," OpenAI further stated. However, the page pointed out that the verification may not be available to every organisation. If that is the case, one can continue using the OpenAI platform with access to existing models and the possibility of accessing advanced models later without verification. Furthermore, OpenAI states that the verification process may be available to an organisation at a later date if it is not currently available. OpenAI recently published a blog post highlighting some of the malicious uses of its AI models and how it has been tackling them. Sharing one such instance in the report, OpenAI stated, "We recently banned a small cluster of accounts operated by threat actors potentially associated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." The verification process could be an extra step to ensure that the best of their AI model capabilities are not accessed for malicious use cases. However, could it make the platform restrictive for organisations that are ineligible for verification but still want to harness the full potential of AI?

OpenAI wants your ID before you access its future APIs

OpenAI is planning to introduce a verified ID requirement for organizations to access certain future AI models through its API, according to a support page published on the company's website last week. The new verification process, called Verified Organization, aims to ensure safe usage of its advanced AI models. The verification process requires a government-issued ID from one of the countries supported by OpenAI's API. An ID can only verify one organization every 90 days, and not all organizations will be eligible for verification. OpenAI stated that it takes its responsibility seriously to ensure AI is both broadly accessible and used safely. "At OpenAI, we take our responsibility seriously to ensure that AI is both broadly accessible and used safely," reads the page. "Unfortunately, a small minority of developers intentionally use the OpenAI APIs in violation of our usage policies. We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community." The move is likely intended to enhance security around OpenAI's products as they become more sophisticated. The company has published reports on its efforts to detect and mitigate malicious use of its models, including by groups allegedly based in North Korea. It may also be aimed at preventing IP theft, following an investigation into a potential data exfiltration incident involving a group linked with China's DeepSeek AI lab. OpenAI has taken previous measures to restrict access to its services, including blocking access in China last summer. The Verified Organization status is expected to be ready for the company's next model release. As OpenAI explained, "Unfortunately, a small minority of developers intentionally use the OpenAI APIs in violation of our usage policies. We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community."

OpenAI to roll out ID checks for some users

The move is likely aimed at tightening security around OpenAI's models as they become more advanced. The company has published several reports detailing efforts to detect and prevent misuse of its models, including by groups allegedly linked to North Korea.OpenAI may soon require organisations to complete an identity verification process to access certain upcoming artificial intelligence models, according to a support page published on its website last week. The process, called Verified Organisation, is "a new way for developers to unlock access to the most advanced models and capabilities on the OpenAI platform," the company said. To qualify, organisations must submit a government-issued ID from a country where OpenAI's API is available. One ID can verify only one organisation every 90 days, and not all applicants will be eligible, the company noted. "At OpenAI, we take our responsibility seriously to ensure that AI is both broadly accessible and used safely," the page said. "Unfortunately, a small minority of developers intentionally use the OpenAI APIs in violation of our usage policies. We're adding the verification process to mitigate unsafe use of AI while continuing to make advanced models available to the broader developer community." The move is likely aimed at tightening security around OpenAI's models as they become more advanced. The company has published several reports detailing efforts to detect and prevent misuse of its models, including by groups allegedly linked to North Korea. The verification process may also help prevent intellectual property theft. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that OpenAI was investigating whether a group tied to China-based AI lab DeepSeek extracted large volumes of data via its API in late 2024, possibly to train its own models -- a violation of OpenAI's terms of use. ET reported on February 23 that OpenAI had banned several accounts in China for using ChatGPT to support social media monitoring, citing a threat intelligence report. The Sam Altman-led company recently announced that it will remove its GPT-4 model from ChatGPT on 30 April. However, GPT-4 will remain available to developers via OpenAI's API.