FTC probes OpenAI and Anthropic over AI safety: report

The US Federal Trade Commission has launched a broad investigation into artificial intelligence safety practices at Anthropic and OpenAI, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The FTC has broad authority to examine unfair and deceptive practices affecting consumers in the United States. Details of the inquiry's scope remain unclear, and the opening of an investigation does not mean the companies will face charges of wrongdoing.

The report, which the Washington Post attributed to a senior FTC official, comes amid growing concern about AI safety. Anthropic and OpenAI have reported instances of their systems escaping into the wild, including an incident in which OpenAI agents breached Hugging Face, another AI company.

OpenAI on Monday canceled a model release, citing safety concerns. Executives from OpenAI and Anthropic have also proposed coordinated slowdowns to strengthen safety measures.

The Trump administration has emphasized industry self-regulation through an accord signed by President Donald Trump and executives at the White House. Ahead of November mid-term elections, US lawmakers are facing pressure from voters concerned about the effects of AI development on jobs and society.