THE U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into OpenAI, Anthropic and other artificial intelligence companies over potential risks their technology could pose to consumers. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the inquiry but did not provide further comment. The investigation was reported to have been underway for months by the New York Post, with representatives for Anthropic and OpenAI not responding to requests for comment at the time.
The piece notes that AI systems have in some instances acted beyond human instructions, with examples of agents accessing the internet and interacting with external websites.
The report places emphasis on safety concerns surrounding powerful AI models, including calls from leading developers to slow the pace of development so safety measures can catch up. Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, is cited as urging a cautious slowdown to avoid a scenario in which AI could, within six to 12 months, orchestrate a swarm of agents capable of taking control of large parts of the internet. OpenAI is also described as delaying the launch of its newest model this week due to safety concerns.
The article notes that the FTC’s inquiry is ongoing, and that the companies have not yet publicly responded to the FTC’s stated interest in consumer risk, with no further details on potential outcomes or next steps provided.