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FTC Chair Casts Doubt on Antitrust Exemptions for AI Industry

By  |  September 15, 2026
FTC Chair Casts Doubt on Antitrust Exemptions for AI Industry

The head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is urging caution over efforts by artificial intelligence companies to secure exemptions from antitrust rules while also pressing Washington for new regulations, according to Reuters.

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    FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said Tuesday that policymakers should closely scrutinize companies seeking both regulatory protections and relief from competition laws, Reuters reported. His comments came during an event at Georgetown University in Washington.

    Ferguson framed the remarks as his personal view rather than an announcement of FTC or administration policy. President Donald Trump will ultimately determine the federal government’s broader approach to artificial intelligence, according to the Reuters report.

    The FTC chairman’s concern centers on the potential competitive effects of regulation. Rules that impose substantial compliance costs or other hurdles on new entrants can favor established companies that already possess the capital, technology and legal resources necessary to meet those requirements.

    Ferguson indicated that the combination of requests for additional regulation and antitrust exemptions warrants particular skepticism.

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    “If companies are simultaneously coming to Washington and asking for a host of regulations and an antitrust exemption, all of my alarm bells go off,” Ferguson said, according to Reuters.

    Read more: US Senators Weigh New Safety Obligations for Powerful AI Developers

    He suggested that regulations sought by incumbent companies could create barriers making it more difficult for emerging competitors to challenge their positions. Coupling those barriers with an exemption from antitrust law would raise further concerns about competition, he said.

    The remarks underscore the increasingly complicated regulatory debate surrounding artificial intelligence as Washington considers how existing competition rules should apply to a rapidly developing industry.

    Ferguson’s comments also signal that competition concerns could remain an important part of the government’s AI policy debate, particularly when proposals from established technology companies could affect the ability of smaller or newer businesses to enter the market.

    The FTC is one of the principal U.S. agencies responsible for enforcing federal antitrust and consumer-protection laws.

    Source: Reuters