AIBRIEF
The Federal Trade Commission confirmed the probe of OpenAI, Anthropic and other top AI developers on Wednesday. Civil investigative demands, formal orders for documents and executive testimony, are expected in coming weeks.
OpenAI and Anthropic are now the targets of a Federal Trade Commission compulsory product-safety probe of frontier AI labs, an agency spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, per CNBC.
The New York Post, citing administration officials, reported the agency plans to issue civil investigative demands, formal orders for documents and executive testimony, in coming weeks rather than as immediate enforcement (New York Post). Press News Agency confirmed the probe and noted no company had responded on the record (Press News Agency).
The Post reports the inquiry targets potential unfair or deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, the same authority the agency uses against fraud and unsafe products. A senior FTC official told the Post the agency is not directing the companies to stop their work. The voluntary White House AI accord signed earlier this year was nonbinding; a compulsory product-safety probe is a different mechanism, with the next step a documented information demand rather than a press release.