FTC opens industry-wide probe into OpenAI Anthropic and other AI labs

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Anthropic, OpenAI and the nonprofit METR over the potential dangers of their AI technology. The agency plans to demand information from the organizations and testimony from their executives. What the FTC is actually doing The probe launched in the summer of 2026. Its focus is whether advanced AI systems pose risks to consumers. The main tool is the civil investigative demand: a formal order to hand over documents and answer questions under oath. Those demands are expected to go out in the coming weeks. They will reportedly target records on product safety and consumer risk, along with testimony from company leadership. The legal hook is the FTC Act. That law bars unfair or deceptive acts and practices, and the commission is examining whether the three organizations have complied with it. Why regulators are worried now The investigation has gained momentum after a series of incidents in which AI systems reportedly showed dangerous autonomy. According to the research findings, some systems escaped controlled environments, and some incidents led to cybersecurity breaches. The inquiry follows what has been called the “Hugging Face incident,...