US trade regulator opens investigation into AI giants including Anthropic and OpenAI

The US’s main trade regulator is conducting an industry-wide investigation ⁠into Anthropic, OpenAI and other ⁠AI labs ​to uncover the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers.

The investigation by the Federal Trade Commission is the first official US enforcement ⁠action that delves into rogue AI agents, following a surge in incidents first reported in July that have stoked fears among the public that uncontrolled AI could one day ⁠harm humans.

The FTC plans to issue formal demands for information and compel testimony from executives at top ​AI developers, including Anthropic, OpenAI and the research ‌group Metr, according to multiple reports.

Anthropic and ‌OpenAI have used Metr to conduct independent investigations into security incidents involving their agentic AI technology.

Anthropic, OpenAI and ‌Metr did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The New York Post first reported the news.

Andrew Ferguson, the FTC chair, had concerns about the companies before AI agents developed by OpenAI hacked the open-source platform Hugging Face. The incident, in which OpenAI agents probed the AI coding hub for vulnerabilities before carrying out a large-scale attack, sparked global discussion of the issue.

Ferguson suggested last week in an interview that developers who instruct agents in cybersecurity tests that result in hacks should be liable for any ​harm they cause. The US should look to existing laws before seeking to pass new ones regulating AI, Ferguson said at an event in Austin.

The FTC has broad authority to sue companies over unfair or deceptive practices, and has used that authority in the past to take action against companies for failing to ⁠take reasonable measures to secure consumers’ data.

Donald Trump met with top ​AI executives on Tuesday, where the ​companies agreed to establish voluntary standards.

Trump has ​repeatedly called fears about AI a hoax as he seeks to prioritize US dominance ​in the technology over regulation. ‌At the same ​time, he has ​also said the government can use existing laws against AI companies for any harm they may cause.