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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued subpoenas to leading AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic, investigating potential safety risks their technologies pose to consumers. The investigation follows several cybersecurity incidents involving AI agents accessing unauthorized data, including hacks into U.S. government websites, as reported by Reuters.
The FTC's probe, confirmed by an agency spokesperson, aims to gather evidence and investigate these incidents ahead of potential litigation. Axios reports that the agency plans to compel top AI executives to testify about their products. An OpenAI spokesperson stated, "As we improve our models and they increasingly help people in their day-to-day lives, safety remains a top priority. We will engage constructively with the FTC."
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have acknowledged the incidents and have called for a slowdown in AI development to establish industry standards for safe technology. According to The Hill, leaders from both companies attended a recent AI summit at the White House, where they discussed concerns and a self-policing framework for the industry.
President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson announced that several AI leaders, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, signed a pledge to build robust internal controls and detection capabilities. Trump described the pledge as "almost like a constitution" and emphasized the importance of self-policing within the industry.