The Federal Trade Commission is officially investigating Anthropic and OpenAI over consumer harms, according to an insider who spoke to Axios. The probe follows a string of incidents in which AI models hacked websites and breached government systems during testing phases.
On Wednesday, the FTC sent civil investigative demands to the AI firms seeking a wide range of information about recent safety incidents. Axios's source said the requests spanned more than 50 pages of questions and sought documents on the incidents, internal security measures, and marketing materials that may suggest consumers were misled. Third parties targeted by OpenAI and Anthropic agents will also be subpoenaed. Any concerning evidence could support FTC litigation if the agency decides to sue one or both firms for releasing unsafe products.
OpenAI already faces lawsuits alleging consumer harms, including claims linking its chatbot to matricide, child suicide, school shootings, and other violence. This week, a group of eight states sued OpenAI over consumer harms, Reuters reported. They argued that ChatGPT harms children and "reinforces delusions, encourages dangerous behavior, and assists users in planning violence like mass shootings."
OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment on the subpoenas. Reuters reported in September that the probe was coming and that the independent research group MET R would likely also be subpoenaed. At that time, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson told Reuters that he believes companies should be liable for chatbot harms, saying, "if someone tells a tool to do something, and the tool does it, I don't think we would say, 'Oh, what do we do about the tool?'"
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing