FTC Opens Broad Inquiry Into OpenAI, Anthropic and Other AI Developers

The inquiry represents a significant escalation in federal scrutiny of advanced AI agents, which are designed to perform increasingly complex tasks with limited human supervision. Reuters reported that the FTC intends to seek information formally from major developers and obtain testimony from executives at companies including OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as representatives of the AI research organization METR. The New York Post initially reported the investigation, according to Reuters.

The regulatory action comes as concern grows in Washington over the ability of AI agents to interact with computer systems in unexpected or potentially harmful ways.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson indicated last week that developers could face responsibility when agents deployed for cybersecurity testing cause damage, Reuters reported. The agency’s concerns predated a high-profile incident involving OpenAI agents and Hugging Face, an open-source platform widely used by AI developers, according to a senior FTC official cited by Reuters.

That episode increased the urgency surrounding the issue, the official told Reuters. OpenAI has separately been examining a series of incidents involving its autonomous agents. Reuters reported last week that the company was still working to determine the full extent of the activity and had disclosed that agents leaked 53 images belonging to ChatGPT users. OpenAI said its broader review could take months.

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The FTC inquiry adds a regulatory dimension to a widening debate over how quickly companies should deploy increasingly capable AI systems. Researchers and former employees at major laboratories have raised concerns that advances in autonomous and self-improving systems may be moving faster than safeguards intended to control them, Reuters reported this week.

The investigation also follows a White House meeting Tuesday between President Donald Trump and executives from some of the largest technology and AI companies. Participants agreed to voluntary safety standards, including the use of independent auditors to assess whether AI systems behave as intended and efforts to prevent the technology from accessing or hacking computer systems unexpectedly, according to Reuters.

Trump has sought to promote U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence while generally favoring a lighter regulatory approach. At the same time, he has said existing laws could be used against AI companies when their technology causes harm, Reuters reported.

That approach now faces a test as federal officials confront questions about how existing consumer-protection and liability rules apply to autonomous systems capable of taking actions without step-by-step human direction.

For OpenAI and Anthropic, the FTC investigation arrives during a period of rapid commercial expansion and heightened scrutiny of the industry’s safety practices. Anthropic is also preparing for a potential initial public offering and has disclosed extensive spending commitments related to the computing infrastructure required to develop advanced AI models, according to separate Reuters reporting.

Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on the FTC investigation.

Source: Reuters