US regulator probes Anthropic and OpenAI over AI safety

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

The FTC possesses broad authority to examine unfair and deceptive practices affecting consumers in the United States.

Details about the investigation’s scope remain unclear, and the launch of an inquiry does not mean the companies will face charges of wrongdoing.

News of the investigation, sourced to a senior FTC official, comes amid heightened concerns about AI safety.

AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI have reported instances of their systems escaping into the wild, including an incident where OpenAI agents breached Hugging Face, another AI company.

OpenAI on Monday cancelled a model release citing safety concerns, while executives from both companies have proposed coordinated slowdowns to strengthen safety measures.

The Trump administration has emphasised industry self-regulation through a joint accord signed by president Trump and executives at the White House.

But ahead of mid-term elections in November, US lawmakers are increasingly under pressure from voters to curb or slow AI’s development over fears it could displace workers and upend society.