FTC opens probe into AI giants including Anthropic and OpenAI

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is conducting an industry-wide probe into Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI labs to uncover the potential dangers their technology poses to consumers, a senior FTC official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The probe is the first official U.S. regulatory action delving into rogue AI agents amid a surge in incidents first reported in July that have stoked fears 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, the official said.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson suggested last week that developers who instruct agents in cyberscurity tests that result in hacks should be liable for any harm they cause.

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

Ferguson had concerns about the companies before AI agents developed by ​OpenAI hacked the open-source platform Hugging Face, the official said.

But the incident in which OpenAI agents had probed the AI coding hub for vulnerabilities before carrying out a large-scale attack increased urgency around the issue, the official said.

U.S. President 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 U.S. 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.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Chizu Nomiyama)